Frequency of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Amount of Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in Cirrhotic Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
Frequency of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Amount of Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in Cirrhotic Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
All consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis, with clinical and imaging features suggestive of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) attending the Department of Hepatology, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) from February 2017 to December 2018 will be evaluated for inclusion.Based on the previous years data of HCC patients admitted to ILBS.
Cirrhotic patients aged 18-70 years, with HCC proven by typical radiological features of arterial enhancement and delayed wash-out, on one or both of dynamic Computerized Tomographic or dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), as per updated American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) guidelines (details in appendix1).
Age and gender matched patients with cirrhosis, but without HCC, seen during the same study period will serve as controls.
Patient characteristics, etiology of cirrhosis, and liver function parameters will be noted. Investigator will stage the included patients as per the Barcelona Cancer of Liver Cancer (BCLC) criteria (details in appendix1). Investigator will then estimate Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) and cfDNA in peripheral blood samples of the patients and controls.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: