Rising plasma nociceptin level during development of HCC: a case report.
OBJECTIVE
Although liver cirrhosis is a predisposing factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), relatively few reports are available on HCC in primary biliary cirrhosis. High plasma nociceptin (N/OFQ) level has been shown in Wilson disease and in patients with acute and chronic pain.


METHODS
We report a follow-up case of HCC, which developed in a patient with primary biliary cirrhosis. The tumor appeared 18 years after the diagnosis of PBC and led to death within two years. Alfa fetoprotein and serum nociceptin levels were monitored before and during the development of HCC. Nociceptin content was also measured in the tumor tissue.


RESULTS
The importance and the curiosity of the presented case was the novel finding of the progressive elevation of plasma nociceptin level up to 17-fold (172 pg/mL) above the baseline (9.2+/-1.8 pg/mL), parallel with the elevation of alpha fetoprotein (from 13 ng/mL up to 3 480 ng/mL) during tumor development. Nociceptin content was more than 15-fold higher in the neoplastic tissue (0.16 pg/mg) than that in the tumor-free liver tissue samples (0.01 pg/mg) taken during the autopsy.


CONCLUSIONS
Results are in concordance with our previous observation that a very high plasma nociceptin level may be considered as an indicator for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Horvath
Andrea
A
MD, PhD, 1st Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Folhoffer
Aniko
A
Lakatos
Peter Laszlo
PL
Halosz
Judit
J
Illyes
Gyorgy
G
Schaff
Zsuzsa
Z
Hantos
Monika Beatrix
MB
Tekes
Kornelia
K
Szalay
Ferenc
F
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D000097629:Nociceptin
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018847:Opioid Peptides; D000097629:Nociceptin