title: Successful treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib in a patient with liver cirrhosis.
abstract: Several mechanisms of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis have been discussed. One hypothesis suggests that the somatic stem cells of the liver, the so-called oval cells, may undergo malignant transformation. Oval cells are derived from the biliary cells of the canal of Hering and are characterized by c-kit-positivity, the transmembrane receptor of stem cell factor. Constitutively activated tyrosine kinases have been identified as major pathogenetic mechanisms in the development of malignant diseases like gastrointestinal stromal tumors (c-kit) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (bcr-abl). The prognosis of these diseases improved enormously since the drug imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of c-kit and bcr-abl, was introduced. Here we report the successful cure of a patient with liver cancer by this tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
authors.affiliation: Center of Internal Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Göttingen, Germany. gramado@md.uni-goettingen.de
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramadori
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Füzesi
authors.forename: Eckhardt
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grabbe
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pieler
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Armbrust
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001549:Benzamides; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010879:Piperazines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D010879:Piperazines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases