PARTIAL-HEPATECTOMY ACCELERATES LOCAL TUMOR-GROWTH - POTENTIAL ROLES OF LOCAL CYTOKINE ACTIVATION

Background. Surgical excision of liver tumors represents the only cura tive treatment for primary and metastatic liver malignancies. It has b een suspected that hepatectomy may stimulate growth of microscopic tum ors. To determine whether local or systemic factors after hepatectomy are responsible for enhancement of tumor growth, the effects of hepate ctomy on the experimental growth of liver or pulmonary tumors were exa mined. Methods, One hour after injection of 10(6) Morris hepatoma cell s into either the portal or femoral vein, which produces isolated live r and lung tumors, respectively, animals were randomized to undergo 0% , 30%, or 70% partial hepatectomy (PH). Results. Animals that underwen t portal injection of tumor had significantly increased liver tumor bu rden after PH (sham, 25 +/- 7 vs PH, 94 +/- 17; p < 0.01), whereas ani mals that underwent femoral injection had no change in lung tumor burd en after PH. PH was associated with significantly increased levels of transforming growth factor-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta, and basic fibroblast growth factor in the liver but not in the lung: Conc lusions. Changes in liver cytokine-growth factor activation may contri bute to enhanced tumor growth in the liver after hepatectomy.