Genetic tests identify 6 types of liver cancer among Japanese patients

Print 14 April 2016
EJ Lane / FeircePharmaAsia

A study published in the journal Nature Genetics has detailed 6 types of liver cancer among Japanese patients that were found through genetic tests in what is seen as an important marker for diagnostics and may spur development of targeted therapies for the cancer. 

In an abstract, researchers said they looked at somatic alterations in 300 liver cancers from patients in Japan that identified "point mutations, structural variations (STVs), and virus integrations, in noncoding and coding regions."

The work revealed mutational signatures, the abstract said, adding that links were made from cancer-related genes that were recurrently affected by STVs.

"These results emphasize the value of whole-genome sequencing analysis in discovering cancer driver mutations and understanding comprehensive molecular profiles of liver cancer, especially with regard to STVs and noncoding mutations," the abstract said.

The research compared tissue samples from the patients with genomes of healthy livers and used supercomputer modeling to show the 6 types of liver cancer in which mutations occurred, according to an article in Nikkei Asian Review.

The work was performed at the Japan National Cancer Center, the Riken Institute, the University of Tokyo as well as other locations in the country, according to Nikkei.

Nikkei said that identifying the type of liver cancer can be crucial in determining a potential survival rate from a high of 80% over a 5-year time period to others with a 20% rate or zero.

Japan sees about 40,000 cases of liver cancer annually, Nikkei said; it cited the Japanese Association of Clinical Cancer Centers as reporting an overall 5-year survival rate of around 35% and a 10-year survival rate of about 15%.

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