Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0345904 (liver cancer)
 15,188 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In contrast to the large quantity of preclinical evidence for efficacy, few gene therapy agents have reached clinical development for the treatment of primary and secondary liver cancer. This review discusses the published clinical trials that have explored the feasibility, safety and efficacy of gene therapy strategies for the treatment of liver cancer. Strategies include restoration of tumor suppressor genes, genetic prodrug-activating therapy, genetic immunotherapy and oncolytic virotherapy. In these trials, transgene expression of varying degrees has been detected. Globally, gene therapy has proven to be safe, with none of the agents tested reaching the MTD. Although none of the phase II trials provided significant response rates, objective remissions have occasionally been observed and proof-of-concept for the ability of gene therapy to produce significant tumor cell killing has been determined. Insufficient delivery following intravascular administration and short-lived transgene expression are likely to be the cause of this limited antitumor efficacy. The development of new gene therapy vectors with improved characteristics will increase the probability of success of gene therapy for the treatment of liver cancer.
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PMID:Gene therapy for liver cancer: clinical experience and future prospects. 2088 88

A large database of 1773 HCC patients in Turkey was examined. 41.9% had alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels <20 IU/ml and an additional 16.123% had values between 20-100 IU/ml. This 58% of the cohort (<100 IU/ml AFP levels) was examined in detail. 66% of patients with small (<5 cm) HCCs had low AFP, compared to 49% of patients with larger (>5 cm) HCCs. The mean diameter (MTD) of larger MTD, low AFP tumors was 8.4cm. Therefore, factors other than AFP must contribute to HCC tumor growth. Larger tumors in low AFP patients had both higher platelet levels and increased PVT percent. Linear regression analysis for both MTD and multifocality showed that platelet numbers and presence of PVT were significant variables; whereas for PVT, significant variables were albumin, alkaline phosphatase and MTD. Comparisons between patients with AFP levels <20, 20-<100, 100-<1000 and >1000 IU/ml showed the most significant tumor finding was an increase in PVT percent between each group, and to a lesser extent, MTD. Thus, low- or normal-AFP HCCs constitute the majority of patients and have slightly lower MTD and much lower PVT percent than HCCs associated with elevated blood AFP levels. New, non-AFP markers are thus needed, especially for small HCCs.
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PMID:HCC with low- and normal-serum alpha-fetoprotein levels. 2957 65