Hepatocyte growth factor in patients with three different stages of chronic liver disease including hepatocellular carcinoma, cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis: An immunohistochemical study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The specific role of hepatocyte growth factor in liver disease is unknown. The presence and density of this factor in patients wi th three different stages of liver disease were investigated, with the aim of assessing its prognostic significance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Liver specimens from patients with chronic hepatitis (n=20), cirrhosis (n=20), hepatocellular carcinoma (n=30) and normal livers (n=20) were immunohistochemically stained to determine the presence and de nsity of hepatocyte growth factor. RESULTS: There were significantly more hepatocyte growth factor positive Ku pffer and Ito cells in all three diseased groups than in the control group. Also, there was significantly more positive staining in chronic hepatitis specimens than in specimens from the cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma an d control groups (P<0.05). The hepatoma cells in 10 of the hepatocellular c arcinoma cases stained positive, but none of the hepatocytes in the chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and normal liver specimens stained. It was only possi ble to assess nonmalignant hepatocytes adjacent to the hepatocellular carci noma in the four resection specimens, and no staining for hepatocyte growth factor was observed in these areas. There was no statistical association b etween density of hepatocyte growth factor and histological activity index in chronic hepatitis, or between density of hepatocyte growth factor and gr ade of hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to some previous reports, this study revealed that hep atoma cells can also express this growth factor. Immunohistochemical detect ion of hepatocyte growth factor may prove to be a useful method of diagnosi ng hepatocellular carcinoma in challenging cases.