Liver Cancer Information

Meta-analysis Defines Risk of Needle Track Seeding Following Biopsy for Hepatocellular Cancer (11/3/2008)
Researchers from the UK have reported that the risk of needle track seeding following biopsy of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is approximately 3%. The details of this meta-analysis were published in the November 2008 issue of Gut.

Genetic Signature of Tissue Adjacent to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Predicts Late Recurrence (10/23/2008)
Researchers from Japan have reported that gene expression signatures from liver tissue adjacent to surgically removed hepatic cancers predicts for outcome while gene expression signatures from tissue obtained from the primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) do not. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication on October 15, 2008 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Genetic Characteristics of Hepatitis B Associated with Risk of Liver Cancer (9/2/2008)
Researchers from Taiwan have reported that different genetic characteristics of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) are associated with varying risks of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These results were recently published in the August 20, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Nexavar® Improves Survival in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (8/1/2008)
Researchers affiliated with the SHARP Investigators Study Group have reported that Nexavar® (sorafenib) significantly improves survival and doubles the time to progression among patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This is the first agent to ever demonstrate a significant improvement in survival in the treatment of HCC. The results of this study were published in the July 24, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Preliminary results of this study were previously presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (see first item of related news).

High Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Asians and Hispanics (5/23/2008)
Researchers from the University of California have reported that Asians and Hispanics have a much higher incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma than Caucasians. The details of this study appeared in the June 1, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Medicine.