Screening and identification of molecular marker for metastatic liver cancer

Abstract

Metastastic liver carcinoma, also called as secondary liver cancer, refers to the tumor transferred from other parts of the body to the liver through portal vein, hepatic artery, or lymph. The metastatic liver cancer is generally from the lung, mammary gland, colon, pancreas, and stomach as well as leukemia and other hemocyte cancer. It is said that the stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colon cancer could be transferred to the liver through the portal vein, while the breast cancer and lung cancer could be transferred to the liver through hepatic artery. Generally speaking, the metastatic liver cancer is free from HBV infection, hepatitis, and hepatocirrhosis. Here, AFP is normal, but CEA is raised. As per CT detection, various focal nodes are found inside the liver. They may suffer from necrobiosis, cystic degeneration, bleeding, or calcification. Generally, the metastatic liver cancer is not merged with the portal vein cancer embolus, so that no well-defined symptoms are found at the early phase. In case the symptoms occur, the pathological changes are obvious. At the early phase, it mainly reflects the symptom of primary tumor. However, the symptom of metastatic liver cancer is not obvious. It is mostly found before the primary carcinoma operation, during the follow-up survey after the primary carcinoma operation or exploratory laparotomy. With the disease development, the symptom of metastatic liver cancer gradually appears with the enlargement of tumor. Also, for a minority of patients (mainly transferred from stomach and pancreas), the symptom of metastatic liver cancer is obvious. So, the symptom of metastatic liver cancer is found before the occurrence of primary carcinoma. However the symptom of protopathic tumor is not obvious.