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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH

News National Cancer Institute (NCI) Embargoed for Release: Monday, January 7,

2008, 9:00 a.m. EST CONTACTS: NCI Office of Media Relations, 301-496-6641

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW BIOMARKER FOR PREDICTING LIVER CANCER SPREAD AND

SURVIVAL

New research has shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small RNA molecules

that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer will

spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or longer survival,

even patients with early stage disease. The study, which appeared online January

7, 2008 in " Hepatology " , was conducted by researchers at the National Cancer

Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues at

Ohio State University, Columbus, and the Liver Cancer Institute in Shanghai,

China. " The aggressive nature of hepatocellular carcinoma, a prevalent type of

liver cancer, is largely due to its tendency to spread or recur after surgery, "

said the study's lead author, Anuradha Budhu, Ph.D., a staff scientist in the

laboratory of Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D., head of the Liver Carcinogenesis Section of

NCI's Center for Cancer Research (CCR). " Identifying new diagnostic and

prognostic biomarkers for liver cancer is a first step in alleviating the dismal

outcome of this disease. " MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, have been implicated in various

aspects of human disease, including cancer. Their abundance in different tissues

and cancer types indicate that miRNAs are functionally significant and have the

potential to be used as cancer biomarkers. Since miRNAs can effectively regulate

the activity of multiple cancer-related genes and pathways, they are prime

candidates for coordinating the intricate events that lead to the spread of

cancer, which is known as metastasis. In this study, Budhu and her colleagues

used miRNA microarray techniques, which allows researchers to examine the

expression of thousands of genes simultaneously. They analyzed the miRNA

expression profiles (shows the extent to which individual miRNAs are turned on

or off) in cancerous and noncancerous liver samples from 131 patients with or

without metastasis who underwent surgery at the Liver Cancer Institute and

Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai. The analysis revealed a set of 20 miRNAs with

different patterns of expression in tumors with metastasis compared to tumors

without metastasis. MiRNAs are capable of regulating the expression of one or

more genes, including cancer-related genes, potentially affecting multiple cell

functions that could lead to malignancy. " This is an important and unique

finding because it is the first study to show that miRNAs play a significant

role in liver metastasis, " explained Budhu. " In fact, miRNAs have not previously

been related to cancer spread in any other organ. " Using the new gene expression

profile, the researchers found that patients with the metastasis-miRNA profile

had a two-fold higher risk of shorter survival compared to those without the

profile. This latest finding in hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, in combination

with earlier research by this team on early stage HCC and the tumor

microenvironment, suggests a real potential for increasing the accuracy of liver

cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as in monitoring recurrence. " MiRNAs

are also very stable molecules, which is an ideal property that could allow for

more dependable measurements in clinical diagnostic or prognostic methods. Since

miRNAs can affect multiple genes, including those related to cancer, they are

also promising new targets for therapeutic approaches to liver cancer

treatment, " said Budhu. HCC is the most common liver cancer diagnosed in adults

and has a high prevalence in Asian and African populations. The rate of new HCC

cases has been rising over the past 10 years in the United States and occurs

twice as often in men as in women. HCC is a very aggressive disease; patients

usually survive less than one year after diagnosis. In 2007, an estimated 19,160

Americans were newly diagnosed with liver cancer and an estimated 16,780 people

died of the disease. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI

website at , or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER

(1-800-422-6237). For more information on Dr. Wang's research, go to For more

information on Dr. Budhu's research, go to The National Institutes of Health

(NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- is comprised of 27 Institutes

and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human

Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,

clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes,

treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit .

---------------------------------------------

REFERENCES:Budhu A, Jia H, Forgues M, Liu C, Goldstein D, Lam A, Zanetti KA, Ye

Q, Qin L, Croce CM, Tang ZY, Wang, XW. Identification of Metastasis-related

MicroRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma HEP-07-1296. " Hepatology " . Online January

7, 2008. Vol. 47 No. 1. Budhu A, Forgues M, Ye Q, Jia H, He P, Zanetti KA,

Kammula US, Chen Y, Qin L, Tang Z, and Wang XW. Prediction of venous metastases,

recurrence and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma based on a unique immune

response signature of the liver microenvironment. " Cancer Cell " . August 2006,

Vol. 10, Issue 2. ## This NIH News Release is available online at:. To subscribe

(or unsubscribe) from this list, go to.

_________________________________________________________________

Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live.

http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH

News National Cancer Institute (NCI) Embargoed for Release: Monday, January 7,

2008, 9:00 a.m. EST CONTACTS: NCI Office of Media Relations, 301-496-6641

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW BIOMARKER FOR PREDICTING LIVER CANCER SPREAD AND

SURVIVAL

New research has shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small RNA molecules

that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer will

spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or longer survival,

even patients with early stage disease. The study, which appeared online January

7, 2008 in " Hepatology " , was conducted by researchers at the National Cancer

Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues at

Ohio State University, Columbus, and the Liver Cancer Institute in Shanghai,

China. " The aggressive nature of hepatocellular carcinoma, a prevalent type of

liver cancer, is largely due to its tendency to spread or recur after surgery, "

said the study's lead author, Anuradha Budhu, Ph.D., a staff scientist in the

laboratory of Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D., head of the Liver Carcinogenesis Section of

NCI's Center for Cancer Research (CCR). " Identifying new diagnostic and

prognostic biomarkers for liver cancer is a first step in alleviating the dismal

outcome of this disease. " MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, have been implicated in various

aspects of human disease, including cancer. Their abundance in different tissues

and cancer types indicate that miRNAs are functionally significant and have the

potential to be used as cancer biomarkers. Since miRNAs can effectively regulate

the activity of multiple cancer-related genes and pathways, they are prime

candidates for coordinating the intricate events that lead to the spread of

cancer, which is known as metastasis. In this study, Budhu and her colleagues

used miRNA microarray techniques, which allows researchers to examine the

expression of thousands of genes simultaneously. They analyzed the miRNA

expression profiles (shows the extent to which individual miRNAs are turned on

or off) in cancerous and noncancerous liver samples from 131 patients with or

without metastasis who underwent surgery at the Liver Cancer Institute and

Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai. The analysis revealed a set of 20 miRNAs with

different patterns of expression in tumors with metastasis compared to tumors

without metastasis. MiRNAs are capable of regulating the expression of one or

more genes, including cancer-related genes, potentially affecting multiple cell

functions that could lead to malignancy. " This is an important and unique

finding because it is the first study to show that miRNAs play a significant

role in liver metastasis, " explained Budhu. " In fact, miRNAs have not previously

been related to cancer spread in any other organ. " Using the new gene expression

profile, the researchers found that patients with the metastasis-miRNA profile

had a two-fold higher risk of shorter survival compared to those without the

profile. This latest finding in hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, in combination

with earlier research by this team on early stage HCC and the tumor

microenvironment, suggests a real potential for increasing the accuracy of liver

cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as in monitoring recurrence. " MiRNAs

are also very stable molecules, which is an ideal property that could allow for

more dependable measurements in clinical diagnostic or prognostic methods. Since

miRNAs can affect multiple genes, including those related to cancer, they are

also promising new targets for therapeutic approaches to liver cancer

treatment, " said Budhu. HCC is the most common liver cancer diagnosed in adults

and has a high prevalence in Asian and African populations. The rate of new HCC

cases has been rising over the past 10 years in the United States and occurs

twice as often in men as in women. HCC is a very aggressive disease; patients

usually survive less than one year after diagnosis. In 2007, an estimated 19,160

Americans were newly diagnosed with liver cancer and an estimated 16,780 people

died of the disease. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI

website at , or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER

(1-800-422-6237). For more information on Dr. Wang's research, go to For more

information on Dr. Budhu's research, go to The National Institutes of Health

(NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- is comprised of 27 Institutes

and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human

Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,

clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes,

treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit .

---------------------------------------------

REFERENCES:Budhu A, Jia H, Forgues M, Liu C, Goldstein D, Lam A, Zanetti KA, Ye

Q, Qin L, Croce CM, Tang ZY, Wang, XW. Identification of Metastasis-related

MicroRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma HEP-07-1296. " Hepatology " . Online January

7, 2008. Vol. 47 No. 1. Budhu A, Forgues M, Ye Q, Jia H, He P, Zanetti KA,

Kammula US, Chen Y, Qin L, Tang Z, and Wang XW. Prediction of venous metastases,

recurrence and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma based on a unique immune

response signature of the liver microenvironment. " Cancer Cell " . August 2006,

Vol. 10, Issue 2. ## This NIH News Release is available online at:. To subscribe

(or unsubscribe) from this list, go to.

_________________________________________________________________

Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live.

http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008

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Share on other sites

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH

News National Cancer Institute (NCI) Embargoed for Release: Monday, January 7,

2008, 9:00 a.m. EST CONTACTS: NCI Office of Media Relations, 301-496-6641

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW BIOMARKER FOR PREDICTING LIVER CANCER SPREAD AND

SURVIVAL

New research has shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small RNA molecules

that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer will

spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or longer survival,

even patients with early stage disease. The study, which appeared online January

7, 2008 in " Hepatology " , was conducted by researchers at the National Cancer

Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues at

Ohio State University, Columbus, and the Liver Cancer Institute in Shanghai,

China. " The aggressive nature of hepatocellular carcinoma, a prevalent type of

liver cancer, is largely due to its tendency to spread or recur after surgery, "

said the study's lead author, Anuradha Budhu, Ph.D., a staff scientist in the

laboratory of Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D., head of the Liver Carcinogenesis Section of

NCI's Center for Cancer Research (CCR). " Identifying new diagnostic and

prognostic biomarkers for liver cancer is a first step in alleviating the dismal

outcome of this disease. " MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, have been implicated in various

aspects of human disease, including cancer. Their abundance in different tissues

and cancer types indicate that miRNAs are functionally significant and have the

potential to be used as cancer biomarkers. Since miRNAs can effectively regulate

the activity of multiple cancer-related genes and pathways, they are prime

candidates for coordinating the intricate events that lead to the spread of

cancer, which is known as metastasis. In this study, Budhu and her colleagues

used miRNA microarray techniques, which allows researchers to examine the

expression of thousands of genes simultaneously. They analyzed the miRNA

expression profiles (shows the extent to which individual miRNAs are turned on

or off) in cancerous and noncancerous liver samples from 131 patients with or

without metastasis who underwent surgery at the Liver Cancer Institute and

Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai. The analysis revealed a set of 20 miRNAs with

different patterns of expression in tumors with metastasis compared to tumors

without metastasis. MiRNAs are capable of regulating the expression of one or

more genes, including cancer-related genes, potentially affecting multiple cell

functions that could lead to malignancy. " This is an important and unique

finding because it is the first study to show that miRNAs play a significant

role in liver metastasis, " explained Budhu. " In fact, miRNAs have not previously

been related to cancer spread in any other organ. " Using the new gene expression

profile, the researchers found that patients with the metastasis-miRNA profile

had a two-fold higher risk of shorter survival compared to those without the

profile. This latest finding in hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, in combination

with earlier research by this team on early stage HCC and the tumor

microenvironment, suggests a real potential for increasing the accuracy of liver

cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as in monitoring recurrence. " MiRNAs

are also very stable molecules, which is an ideal property that could allow for

more dependable measurements in clinical diagnostic or prognostic methods. Since

miRNAs can affect multiple genes, including those related to cancer, they are

also promising new targets for therapeutic approaches to liver cancer

treatment, " said Budhu. HCC is the most common liver cancer diagnosed in adults

and has a high prevalence in Asian and African populations. The rate of new HCC

cases has been rising over the past 10 years in the United States and occurs

twice as often in men as in women. HCC is a very aggressive disease; patients

usually survive less than one year after diagnosis. In 2007, an estimated 19,160

Americans were newly diagnosed with liver cancer and an estimated 16,780 people

died of the disease. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI

website at , or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER

(1-800-422-6237). For more information on Dr. Wang's research, go to For more

information on Dr. Budhu's research, go to The National Institutes of Health

(NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- is comprised of 27 Institutes

and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human

Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,

clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes,

treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit .

---------------------------------------------

REFERENCES:Budhu A, Jia H, Forgues M, Liu C, Goldstein D, Lam A, Zanetti KA, Ye

Q, Qin L, Croce CM, Tang ZY, Wang, XW. Identification of Metastasis-related

MicroRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma HEP-07-1296. " Hepatology " . Online January

7, 2008. Vol. 47 No. 1. Budhu A, Forgues M, Ye Q, Jia H, He P, Zanetti KA,

Kammula US, Chen Y, Qin L, Tang Z, and Wang XW. Prediction of venous metastases,

recurrence and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma based on a unique immune

response signature of the liver microenvironment. " Cancer Cell " . August 2006,

Vol. 10, Issue 2. ## This NIH News Release is available online at:. To subscribe

(or unsubscribe) from this list, go to.

_________________________________________________________________

Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live.

http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008

Link to comment
Share on other sites

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH

News National Cancer Institute (NCI) Embargoed for Release: Monday, January 7,

2008, 9:00 a.m. EST CONTACTS: NCI Office of Media Relations, 301-496-6641

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW BIOMARKER FOR PREDICTING LIVER CANCER SPREAD AND

SURVIVAL

New research has shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small RNA molecules

that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer will

spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or longer survival,

even patients with early stage disease. The study, which appeared online January

7, 2008 in " Hepatology " , was conducted by researchers at the National Cancer

Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues at

Ohio State University, Columbus, and the Liver Cancer Institute in Shanghai,

China. " The aggressive nature of hepatocellular carcinoma, a prevalent type of

liver cancer, is largely due to its tendency to spread or recur after surgery, "

said the study's lead author, Anuradha Budhu, Ph.D., a staff scientist in the

laboratory of Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D., head of the Liver Carcinogenesis Section of

NCI's Center for Cancer Research (CCR). " Identifying new diagnostic and

prognostic biomarkers for liver cancer is a first step in alleviating the dismal

outcome of this disease. " MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, have been implicated in various

aspects of human disease, including cancer. Their abundance in different tissues

and cancer types indicate that miRNAs are functionally significant and have the

potential to be used as cancer biomarkers. Since miRNAs can effectively regulate

the activity of multiple cancer-related genes and pathways, they are prime

candidates for coordinating the intricate events that lead to the spread of

cancer, which is known as metastasis. In this study, Budhu and her colleagues

used miRNA microarray techniques, which allows researchers to examine the

expression of thousands of genes simultaneously. They analyzed the miRNA

expression profiles (shows the extent to which individual miRNAs are turned on

or off) in cancerous and noncancerous liver samples from 131 patients with or

without metastasis who underwent surgery at the Liver Cancer Institute and

Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai. The analysis revealed a set of 20 miRNAs with

different patterns of expression in tumors with metastasis compared to tumors

without metastasis. MiRNAs are capable of regulating the expression of one or

more genes, including cancer-related genes, potentially affecting multiple cell

functions that could lead to malignancy. " This is an important and unique

finding because it is the first study to show that miRNAs play a significant

role in liver metastasis, " explained Budhu. " In fact, miRNAs have not previously

been related to cancer spread in any other organ. " Using the new gene expression

profile, the researchers found that patients with the metastasis-miRNA profile

had a two-fold higher risk of shorter survival compared to those without the

profile. This latest finding in hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, in combination

with earlier research by this team on early stage HCC and the tumor

microenvironment, suggests a real potential for increasing the accuracy of liver

cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as in monitoring recurrence. " MiRNAs

are also very stable molecules, which is an ideal property that could allow for

more dependable measurements in clinical diagnostic or prognostic methods. Since

miRNAs can affect multiple genes, including those related to cancer, they are

also promising new targets for therapeutic approaches to liver cancer

treatment, " said Budhu. HCC is the most common liver cancer diagnosed in adults

and has a high prevalence in Asian and African populations. The rate of new HCC

cases has been rising over the past 10 years in the United States and occurs

twice as often in men as in women. HCC is a very aggressive disease; patients

usually survive less than one year after diagnosis. In 2007, an estimated 19,160

Americans were newly diagnosed with liver cancer and an estimated 16,780 people

died of the disease. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI

website at , or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER

(1-800-422-6237). For more information on Dr. Wang's research, go to For more

information on Dr. Budhu's research, go to The National Institutes of Health

(NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- is comprised of 27 Institutes

and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human

Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,

clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes,

treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit .

---------------------------------------------

REFERENCES:Budhu A, Jia H, Forgues M, Liu C, Goldstein D, Lam A, Zanetti KA, Ye

Q, Qin L, Croce CM, Tang ZY, Wang, XW. Identification of Metastasis-related

MicroRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma HEP-07-1296. " Hepatology " . Online January

7, 2008. Vol. 47 No. 1. Budhu A, Forgues M, Ye Q, Jia H, He P, Zanetti KA,

Kammula US, Chen Y, Qin L, Tang Z, and Wang XW. Prediction of venous metastases,

recurrence and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma based on a unique immune

response signature of the liver microenvironment. " Cancer Cell " . August 2006,

Vol. 10, Issue 2. ## This NIH News Release is available online at:. To subscribe

(or unsubscribe) from this list, go to.

_________________________________________________________________

Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live.

http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008

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