Predictive Value of Diminished Serum PDGF-BB after Curative Resection of Hepatocellular Cancer.

Platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) has emerged as one of the key cytokines in malignant transformation of different cells. PDGF-BB also exhibits a potent mitogenic effect on liver cells; studies have advocated clinical implications of monitoring serum PDGF-BB (sPDGF-BB) in patients with liver disease. We thus investigated the predictive relevance of perioperative sPDGF-BB after curative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated perioperative sPDGF-BB in a prospective homogenous cohort of 40 patients diagnosed with HCC. During the first two-year follow-up, patients were evaluated every three months for postresection HCC recurrence. Patients who developed recurrence during two-year follow-up were found to have lower concentration of sPDGF-BB than those without recurrence in both pre- and postoperative settings ( These findings provide a new insight into an association between diminished perioperative sPDGF-BB and HCC recurrence. Patients with low perioperative sPDGF-BB progressed early HCC recurrence. Therefore, evaluating perioperative sPDGF-BB may provide useful clinical information to characterize patients with postresection HCC recurrence.