T-cell immune regulator 1 enhances metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Researchers have identified a gene that may help to develop therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a deadly type of liver cancer. HCC is the second-most common cause of cancer-related death; the cancerous cells often cause new tumors, known as recurrence, making it difficult to treat. Because currently available chemotherapy drugs are often toxic to patients with liver disfunction, researchers are exploring targeted genetic treatments for HCC. Suk Woo Nam at the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul and co-workers compared the genes expressed in recurrent and non-recurrent HCC human tumor tissues. They found that the TCIRG1 gene was associated with recurrence. Blocking TCIRG1 decreased the capacity of HCC cells to cause tumors. TCIRG1 may be useful in both identifying patients most susceptible to recurrence, and in developing novel targeted therapies for HCC.