title: Molecular imaging and therapy targeting copper metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Significant efforts have been devoted to identify new biomarkers for molecular imaging and targeted therapy of HCC. Copper is a nutritional metal required for the function of numerous enzymatic molecules in the metabolic pathways of human cells. Emerging evidence suggests that copper plays a role in cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Increased accumulation of copper ions was detected in tissue samples of HCC and many other cancers in humans. Altered copper metabolism is a new biomarker for molecular cancer imaging with position emission tomography (PET) using radioactive copper as a tracer. It has been reported that extrahepatic mouse hepatoma or HCC xenografts can be localized with PET using copper-64 chloride as a tracer, suggesting that copper metabolism is a new biomarker for the detection of HCC metastasis in areas of low physiological copper uptake. In addition to copper modulation therapy with copper chelators, short-interference RNA specific for human copper transporter 1 (hCtr1) may be used to suppress growth of HCC by blocking increased copper uptake mediated by hCtr1. Furthermore, altered copper metabolism is a promising target for radionuclide therapy of HCC using therapeutic copper radionuclides. Copper metabolism has potential as a new theranostic biomarker for molecular imaging as well as targeted therapy of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Jason Wachsmann, Fangyu Peng, Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-8542, United States.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wachsmann
authors.affiliation: Jason Wachsmann, Fangyu Peng, Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-8542, United States.
authors.forename: Fangyu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism*; D003301:Copper Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D051379:Mice; D057054:Molecular Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068936:Theranostic Nanomedicine
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003301:Copper Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D003300:Copper
keywords: Copper metabolism; Gene therapy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Positron emission tomography; RNA interference; Radionuclide therapy