title: Measurement of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin levels in cancer and non-cancer tissue in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: In a recent experiment, we discovered that liver tissue adjacent to HCC can also produce des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP). The goal of this study was to advance measurements of DCP levels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-cancer tissues using an electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and immunohistochemistry, and to assess their clinical significance. DCP levels in HCC tissues ranged from 0.7 to 209862.4 mAU/0.1 g tissue weight, with a median of 492.6 mAU/0.1 g. DCP levels in non-cancer tissues ranged from 0 to 2329.9 mAU/0.1 g tissue weight, with a median of 88.8 mAU/0.1 g. DCP levels in cell membranes were significantly higher than in the cytoplasm (p<0.001). DCP levels in HCC tissue were significantly higher than in non-cancer tissue (p<0.001). The logarithm of serum DCP levels correlated not only with that of DCP levels in HCC tissues (p=0.019), but also with that in non-cancer tissues (p=0.020), and the total DCP level of liver tissues (p=0.016). The logarithm of DCP levels in HCC tissues correlated with that of DCP levels in non-cancer tissues (p=0.011). DCP levels in HCC tissue with portal vein invasion were significantly greater than in HCC tissues without portal vein invasion (p=0.028). DCP levels in non-cancer tissues with intrahepatic metastatic lesions were significantly higher than in non-cancer tissues without intrahepatic metastatic lesions (p=0.023). Our results suggest that the origin of elevated serum DCP may lie not only in HCC tissue, but in non-cancer tissue. The existence of HCC may influence production of DCP in non-cancer tissue. Tissue DCP may be a prognostic factor, while increased DCP levels in non-cancer tissues may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Lian-Wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kokudo
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Hirona
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karako
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kyoden
authors.forename: Geertu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deli
authors.forename: Yong-Guo
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makuuchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011498:Protein Precursors; C008208:acarboxyprothrombin; D011516:Prothrombin