量研学術機関リポジトリ「QST-Repository」は、国立研究開発法人 量子科学技術研究開発機構に所属する職員等が生み出した学術成果（学会誌発表論文、学会発表、研究開発報告書、特許等）を集積しインターネット上で広く公開するサービスです。 Welcome to QST-Repository where we accumulates and discloses the academic research results(Journal Publications, Conference presentation, Research and Development Report, Patent, etc.) of the members of National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology.
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Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between trace metals and the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatic cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Methods: We measured the contents of copper, iron, and zinc in HCC tissue (n=112), dysplastic nodules (n=7), and liver parenchyma in patients with (n=112) and without (12; 7 with grade F3 fibrosis, 5 with grade F4 fibrosis) HCC. Metals were quantified in thin-needle biopsy specimens using the particle-induced X-ray emission method (PIXE). Results: Copper level in liver parenchyma was higher in patients with HCC than in those without HCC (p<0.01), while there was no such difference in hepatic iron. In patients with grade F4 fibrosis, copper content in the liver parenchyma was higher in the presence of HCC than in its absence (p<0.05).Multiple regression analysis showed that the only factor significantly associated with the coexistence of HCC in HCV-positive patients with chronic liver disease was the copper level in the liver parenchyma. Conclusions: Hepatic copper overload may contribute to the development of HCC in HCV-positive patients with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis.
Metal Contents in the Liver of Patients with Chronic Liver Disease Caused by Hepatitis C Virus
