Page 35 - Read Online

Page 10 of 38 J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2020;6:5 I http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2020.13

Background and aim: Sometimes, despite all blood examinations, transabdominal ultrasound, and
computerized tomography with or without magnetic resonance imaging by multidisciplinary approach,
we cannot reach a strict diagnosis in patients with liver masses. In this study, we aimed to evaluate
undiagnosed liver masses that do not exhibit typical imaging features.

Material and methods: In this study, we retrospectively evaluated 140 patients with undiagnosed liver
mass(es) without any typical imaging features. Then, percutaneous liver biopsy by transabdominal
ultrasound guiding was performed in 121 patients to obtain a liver specimen. A single gastroenterologist
who has much experience with radiologic biopsies performed all biopsies in this study. This study included
the years 2011-2013. A single experienced radiologist reevaluated images from the records in 2014.

Results: A pathologist evaluated 121 patients’ liver specimens. The distribution of the diagnosis is as
follows: 45 patients with metastasis, 24 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 16 patients with
nothing, 8 patients with advanced stage chronic liver disease, 5 patients with neuroendocrine tumours
(NET), 5 patients with dysplastic nodule or well-differentiated HCC, 4 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, 4
patients with pseudotumor (secondary to infections), 2 patients with steatosis, 2 patients with hemangioma,
1 patient with steatohepatitis, 1 patient with extramedullar hematopoiesis, 1 patient with necrotizing
granuloma, 1 patient with biliary cirrhosis (sistozomiazis), 1 patient with cyst hydatid, and 1 patient with
mixed tumor (HCC + cholangiocarcinoma). The radiologist reevaluated the radiologic records of 70
patients. The distribution of these patients is as follows: 27 patients with HCC, 11 patients with chronic
liver disease findings without any mass, 12 patients with metastasis, 6 patients with cholangiocarcinoma,
3 patients with hemangioma, 5 patients with abscess (1 with fasciola and 1 with cyst hydatid), 2 patients
without any liver abnormality, 1 patient with dysplastic nodule, 1 patient with angiomyolipoma, 1 patient
with gallbladder tumor, and 1 patient with focal nodular hyperplasia. A further distribution of the 27
patients with HCC is shown in Table 1 according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging System.

Discussion: Our results show that HCC, even with Stage C, is one of the major causes of the liver masses
that do not exhibit typical imaging features. HCC due to none B and none C was also a significant portion
in this group of patients. More than half of the patients with HCC had normal serum α-fetoprotein level
even in HCC patients with Stage C. As expected, life expectancy was related to the stage of the disease.

14. Therapeutic effects of trehalose liposomes against tumors along with apoptosis

Yoko Matsumoto

Sojo University, Department of Life Sciences, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan.

Background and aim: Trehalose stabilizes membranes and proteins in cells most likely by hydrogen
bonding. In this study, inhibitory effects of trehalose liposomes (DMTre) composed of L-α-
dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and trehalose micelles (TreC14) on the growth of tumors along
with apoptosis were obtained in vitro and in vivo.

Experimental procedure: DMTre were prepared by the method of sonication of a mixture of DMPC and
[1,2]
TreC14 in a buffer solution with no organic solvent . The thickness of fixed aqueous layer (TFAL) of
DMTre was evaluated from the zeta potential by an electrophoretic light scattering measurement. The
fusion and accumulation of DMTre in tumor cell membrane including a fluorescence probe was observed
using confocal laser microscopy. Activation of caspases for tumor cells induced by DMTre was analyzed
using a flow cytometer. Assessment of therapeutic effects of DMTre against xenograft mice and orthotropic
graft bearing mice model of carcinoma was performed.