The Clinical Significance Of Loss Of Heterozygosity At Mfn2 In Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background:Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumor in the world. Recent years, it has the increased uptrend in its incidence and became one of the major cancer killer. Hepatocellular carcinoma is also a high malignancy with insidious onset, invasive fast-growing,high recurrence rate and fatality. Even with well developed surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, interventional therapy, chemotherapy, Chinese medicine, liver transplantation and so on,the patient's 5-year survival rate is still around 40%only. It is far from satisfactory. So it is important to explore the relationship between biological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma and clinical pathological features. It may provide more theoretical bases for reasonable treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and then further to find new therapeutic pathway and improve the survival rate of HCC patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) gene and its association with clinical pathological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)Objective: To study loss of heterozygosity(LOH) at mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) gene restricted on chromosome 1p36, and its association with clinicopathological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods:The clinicopathologic data of 29 patients with HCC admitted in First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from August 2006 to March 2008 were analyzed. Four high polymorphic microsatellite markers flanking Mfn2(D1S2667, D1S2740, D1S434 and D1S228) were selected for LOH analysis in 29 HCCs. The clinical features, loss of heterozygosity and their relationships were analyzed.Results:The frequencies of LOH on D1S2667, D1S2740, D1S434 and D1S228 were 21%, 23%,21%and 22%, respectively. Significant results were found between LOH with tumor size, age, capsule, differentiation and the condition of HBV infection(P<0.05). No significant correlation was observed between LOH and gender, thrombosis, cirrhosis and serum AFP(P>0.05).Conclusion:LOH at Mfn2, which represents tumor suprresor gene, was observed in HCCs and played a key role in hepatocarcinogenesis.