Exploratory study of histopathological characteristics of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in African (Tanzania) and Caucasian (Italian) population

Abstract

Background: HCC is a primary malignancy of the liver. HCC is now the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with over 500,000 people affected. Pathogenesis of HCC is different between Caucasians (C) and African (A) population. Infection with HBV and aflotoxin are most frequent in A while HCV infection are most frequent in C. These etiological differences are reflected in a different biological behavior of HCC. The aim of the study is to evaluate different pathways among the various types of HCC. Currently we speak of HCC, clinically we know that there are different subtypes, but these differences have not been identified at the molecular level. Case series: 6 Tanzanian and 6 Caucasian patients with HCC in the Biosciences Laboratory at IRST (Meldola, Italy) as part of a global cancer control project currently being carried out in close cooperation with the Bugando Medical Center (Mwanza, Tanzania) were analyzed. Materials and methods: Immunohistochemical analyses were performed by using the Benckmark XT (Ventana Medical Systems) with Cox 2(Cell Signaling), Hsp27(Cell Signaling), c-fos (Thermo Fisher) antibodies diluted 1:600, 1:100, 1:300 respectively. Samples were evaluated as positive in the presence of cytoplasmatic immunopositivity for Cox2 and Hsp27 and in the presence of nuclear immunopositivity for c-fos. Results: All A cases were negative for Cox 2 expression while only one C case presented immunoreactivity 1/6 (16.6 %). C-fos is expressed in 83% of C cases and only in 50% of A cases. Hsp27 is expressed in 100% of C cases and only in 50% of A. Discussion: These are the preliminary results of an ongoing study. In literature, there are few studies that evaluate differences of HCC insurgents between A population and C population. The initial data obtained show a difference in the expression of Hsp27. HCV infection could be correlated with the expression of this protein. HSP27 has also been object of research in order to elucidate its possible contribute to invasion and metastasis cascade affecting the overall survival of the patients. Overexpression of HSP27 was found to be associated with poor prognosis in different tumors. Other researchers report that HSPs in general and especially HSP27 can also represent the ideal target for cancer therapy treatment with appropriate drugs, as well as the target for the immune system. If the preliminary results are confirmed, HCC could be the ideal cancer to test these drugs.