What are the means of liver cancer examination

In a research paper published in an international journal, researchers from the university showed that detecting circulating tumor DNA in patients' serum samples before surgery may help predict early recurrence of patients' hepatocellular carcinoma and help guide treatment; hepatocellular carcinoma is a common type of liver cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in the world.

The researchers said, "We found that the level of circulating tumor DNA can accurately reflect the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and the effect of treatment. With further research, the identification of genomic characteristics through the analysis of circulating tumor DNA may help guide the development of personalized therapy and management strategies. The researchers sequenced the whole genome of 46 patients who were undergoing hepatocellular carcinoma resection therapy and obtained serum samples from the patients before and after surgery. The researchers then compared the differences between the normal DNA of the patients and the DNA of tumor cells, and found DNA mutation information in all 46 samples.

While the mutation was present in all tumors, the researchers detected circulating tumor DNA in the serum of only seven patients, and the presence of circulating tumor DNA was directly associated with increased tumor size and tumor recurrence within 2 years after resection; serum circulating tumor DNA levels also increase with disease progression and can help reflect response to therapy. Hepatocellular carcinoma is usually not detected until the patient is in the late stage, and the patient's 5-year survival rate is only 11%, so identifying a new method may help monitor disease progression and identify patients who benefit from treatment, which is of course critical to improving survival for patients with stem cell cancer.

Finally, the researchers stated that the analysis of circulating tumor DNA can reflect a potential paradigm shift in personalized treatment of liver cancer. We hope that more research can be conducted in the future to obtain more encouraging value to help ultimately improve effective treatments for malignant hepatocellular carcinoma.