In this article
A study reported by Yasuhito Tanaka of Nagoya City University Medical Department in Japan showed that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the TLL1 gene is related to the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma after radical cure of hepatitis C virus infection. The researchers established different models by combining TLL1 gene mutation with other significant risk factors to predict the risk of liver cancer in patients with different degrees of liver fibrosis.
The study included Japanese patients who still suffered from liver cancer after interferon eradication of hepatitis C virus, using genome-wide association analysis to identify which genes were mutated. The results showed that the TLL1 gene SNP rs17047200 on chromosome 4 is closely related to the occurrence of liver cancer after eradication of hepatitis C virus. In a multivariate analysis, the AT/TT base pairing of rs17047200 may lead to a 78% increased risk of liver cancer. In the group of patients with mild fibrosis, older age is an independent risk factor; in the group of severe fibrosis, postoperative alpha-fetoprotein level and low albumin level are also significant risk factors.
In two groups of liver fibrosis rat models, the mRNA level of TLL1 increased, and the level of TLL1 mRNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C also increased as liver fibrosis worsened. Tanaka noted that these data show the relationship between TLL1 expression and hepatic stellate cell activation or liver fibrosis progression, potentially clarifying a new mechanism of liver fibrosis or cancerous transformation.
After a patient receives radical treatment for hepatitis C virus and achieves a sustained virological response (SVR), TLL1 SNP-related experiments may be used to identify people at risk of liver cancer. If TLL1 SNP is combined with age, degree of fibrosis, high alpha-fetoprotein levels, and other significant risk factors, it can help clinically predict the risk of liver cancer after SVR. However, further research is still needed to assess whether TLL1 mutations are related to liver cancer occurrence after treatment with interferon-free SVR therapy, which is now becoming the standard anti-hepatitis C virus approach in developed countries.
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About Sai Sree
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