Research Highlights

• Subject Category:
  • Clinical medicine

Published online: 21 October 2009 | doi:10.1038/nchina.2009.206

Cancer: Liver, sex and survival

Felix Cheung

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma is an aggressive and common type of liver cancer that occurs mainly in men. Studies have also shown that women with hepatocellular carcinoma have longer survival compared to men, suggesting that sex, or sex-related factors, may be associated with the prognosis of the disease. Huichuan Sun at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, Xinwei Wang at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, USA and co-workers¹ have now identified three sex-related microRNAs that prolong the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The researchers analysed the microRNA expression profiles of hepatocellular carcinoma patients who had undergone radical tumour resection. They found that the expression of three miR-26 members — miR-26a-1, miR-26a-2 and miR-26b — in non-tumour liver tissues was higher in women than in men. Tumour tissues, however, had reduced levels of miR-26 expression. The findings suggest that the level of miR-26 expression is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The researchers reasoned that miR-26 might act as a tumour-suppressor gene. In fact, patients with low miR-26 expression had shorter survival but a better response to interferon therapy than those with high miR-26 expression.

A recent study suggests that estrogens may help reduce the susceptibility of hepatocellular carcinoma in women. It will be interesting to see if estrogens, miR-26 and hepatocellular carcinoma are linked.

The authors of this work are from:
Liver Carcinogenesis Section, Breast and Prostate Unit, Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, and Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; Liver Cancer Institute and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Departments of Surgery and Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Reference

1. Ji, J. et al. MicroRNA expression, survival, and response to interferon in liver cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 361, 1437–1447 (2009). | Article | PubMed | OpenURL | | ChemPort |