Donor origin of de novo hepatocellular carcinoma in hepatic allografts.
BACKGROUND
Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) that originate de novo in liver transplants without preceding HCC in the explanted organ have only rarely been reported. Because recent data demonstrated a mixed hepatocellular chimerism caused by the integration of host-derived stem cells, a study was conducted on the origin of tumor cells in de novo HCC.


METHODS
From two cases of de novo HCC arising in liver transplants after hepatitis B reinfection, tumor cells and nonneoplastic liver cells from the patient's own liver and donor liver were isolated by laser microdissection and highly polymorphic short tandem DNA repeats (STR) were investigated.


RESULTS
Isolated tumor cells revealed donor-specific STR genotypes that could clearly be discriminated from the genotype of the host.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatitis B virus-associated de novo HCC in liver transplants is of donor but not host origin. The new technique described here can also discriminate between true recurrence of the original tumor and new recipient tumors.
Flemming
Peer
P
Institut für Pathologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany. flemming.peer@mh-hannover.de
Tillmann
Hans L
HL
Barg-Hock
Hannelore
H
Kleeberger
Wolfram
W
Manns
Michael P
MP
Klempnauer
Juergen
J
Kreipe
Hans H
HH
D001483:Base Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences / Q000235:genetics; D014019:Tissue Donors
D017931:DNA Primers