title: [The influence of tumor cells spreading in blood to relapse and distant metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgery].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the relationship between peripheral blood hepatocellular carcinoma cells-associated AFP mRNA and tumor relapse and metastasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  To detect several blood samples from the HCC patients by nested RT-PCR to find out AFP mRNA after 24 h, 72 h and one week and 4 weeks after surgery, and followed up the HCC patients for 1, 2, 3 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 7 patients occurred relapse or distant metastasis in 12 patients with AFP mRNA positive (7/12, 58.3%), there were 5 patients occurred relapse in 19 patients with AFP mRNA negative (5/19, 26.3%) within 1 year, there was 4 patients occurred relapse in second year (9/19, 47.3%); 5 patients occurred relapse in third year (10/19, 52.6%). Obvious connection between patients AFP mRNA positive and AFP mRNA negative was observed (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCC with AFP mRNA positive has more change to be recurrent compared with HCC patients with AFP mRNA negative.
authors.affiliation: Eastern Hepatobiliary Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China. yliu6633@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: LIU
authors.forename: Guo-tong
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: ZHANG
authors.forename: Meng-chao
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: WU
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins