Brief Article
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 28, 2010; 16(32): 4072-4078
Published online Aug 28, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i32.4072
Diagnostic value of cancer-testis antigen mRNA in peripheral blood from hepatocellular carcinoma patients
Li Zhao, Dong-Cheng Mou, Ji-Run Peng, Lei Huang, Zeng-An Wu, Xi-Sheng Leng
Li Zhao, Dong-Cheng Mou, Zeng-An Wu, Department of Surgery, Wangjing Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100102, China
Ji-Run Peng, Lei Huang, Xi-Sheng Leng, Center of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100044, China
Author contributions: Zhao L designed and performed the research, analyzed the data and wrote the paper; Mou DC made a major contribution to the data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript preparation; Peng JR performed the statistical analysis, wrote and revised the manuscript; Huang L and Wu ZA coordinated and provided the patients and collected the clinical data; Leng XS designed the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, and wrote the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30200271
Correspondence to: Xi-Sheng Leng, Professor, Center of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100044, China. lengxs2003@yahoo.com.cn
Telephone: +86-10-88326700 Fax: +86-10-68318386
Received: April 7, 2010
Revised: May 28, 2010
Accepted: June 4, 2010
Published online: August 28, 2010
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic value of cancer-testis antigen (CTA) mRNA in peripheral blood samples from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were taken from 90 patients with HCC before operation. Expression of melanoma antigen-1 (MAGE-1), synovial sarcoma X breakpoint-1 (SSX-1), and cancer-testis-associated protein of 11 kDa (CTp11) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was tested by nested reverse transcripts-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) in these patients was also determined.

RESULTS: The positive rate of MAGE-1, SSX-1 and CTp11 transcripts was 37.7%, 34.4%, 31.1% in PBMC samples, and 74.4%, 73.3%, 62.2% in their resected tumor samples, respectively. The positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes was 66.7% in PBMC samples and 91.1% in their resected tumor samples. MAGE-1, SSX-1 and/or CTp11 mRNA were not detected in the PBMC of those patients from whom the resected tumor samples were MAGE-1, SSX-1 and/or CTp11 mRNA negative, nor in the PBMC samples from 20 healthy donors and 10 cirrhotic patients. Among the 90 patients, the serum AFP in 44 patients met the general diagnostic standard (AFP > 400 μg/L) for HCC, and was negative (AFP ≤ 20 μg/L) or positive with a low concentration (20 μg/L < AFP ≤ 400 μg/L) in the other patients. The positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes in PBMC samples from the AFP negative or positive patients with a low concentration was 69.2% and 45.0%, respectively. Of the 90 patients, 71 (78.9%) were diagnosed as HCC by nested RT-PCR and serum AFP. Although the positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes in PBMC samples from 53 patients at TNM stage III or IV was obviously higher than that in PBMC samples from 37 patients at stage I or II (77.9% vs 51.4%, P = 0.010), the CTA mRNA was detected in 41.7% and 56.0% of PBMC samples from HCC patients at stages I and II, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Detecting MAGE-1, SSX-1 and CTp11 mRNA in PBMC improves the total diagnostic rate of HCC.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, α-fetoprotein, Cancer-testis antigen, Diagnosis, Nested reverse transcripts-polymerase chain reaction