Assessment of Bcl-2 Level in Serum from Hepatitis C Infected Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
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Assessment of Bcl-2 Level in Serum from Hepatitis C Infected Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma,FADIA M. ATTIA, SOHA E. YOUNES, FAWZY A. KHALIL, MAHMOUD M. SHEDED and RASHA M. EL-SHAFIE
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is triggered by many factors including infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, the molecular basis of the development of HCV-related HCC remains unknown. The mechanism by which HCV exerts its carcinogenic effect on the liver is not yet understood. The Bcl-2 related genes regulate cell death and are considered to correlate with the pathogenesis and progression of cancers. This study aims to measure serum level of Bcl-2 in a study population of HCV related diseases as chronic hepaptitis and HCC compared to healthy controls to assess the role of Bcl-2 in HCC. Investigating the mechanism of carcinogenesis might facilitate its treatment.
Subjects and Methods: 80 patients were enrolled in the study and subdivided into two groups according to presence of HCC in chronic hepatitis C patients; 40 HCV patients diagnosed with HCC and another 40 patients without HCC and 10 individuals as control group without evidence of HBV or HCV. The studied groups were matched regarding age and sex.
Results: Serum Bcl-2 was decreased in both groups; hepatitis C virus patients with HCC and hepatitis C virus patients without HCC respectively with no significant differ-ence between groups. In HCV patients with HCC, Bcl-2 had significant positive correlations with age, child score, ascites grade, and tumor size while in HCV patients without HCC, Bcl-2 showed significant positive correlations with age, duration of disease/month, viral load, child score and significant negative correlations with albumin level.
Conclusion: The present data do not distinctly predict a significant role of HCV infection on the circulating Bcl-2 protein since in both HCV without HCC and HCV with HCC groups a limited number of patients have high levels of Bcl-2.