Results lead to early detection of liver cancer（肝がんの早期発見につながる成果）

These teams (Laboratory Medicine), Associate Professor Ikeda found that the University of Tokyo Hospital that the blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for approximately 90% of liver cancer, the specific activity of the enzymes is growing.

  Tests using this enzyme, the effectiveness has been confirmed from the conventional method, especially for small cancers, but the results lead to early detection. Be announced in the August issue of Journal of the European liver.

Associate Professor Ikeda et al, focused on "type mitochondrial creatine kinase" such as enzymes involved in metabolism. 92 people were examined of patients do not develop cirrhosis developed a method for screening using this enzyme, was admitted to the hospital, and 147 people who develop hepatocellular carcinoma. As a result, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, compared to patients not developing, this enzyme had increased approximately 2-fold.

This procedure is, in about 60% (sensitivity) the probability of correctly detecting the cancer from cancer patients, was good conventional method to measure the protein made ​​by cancer (40 to 50%). Cancer of 2 cm or less, whereas 20 to 45% fall the conventional method, this test method in particular was almost unchanged. It is likely to lead to early detection and treatment. I want to say you have to increase the detection sensitivity commercialization promoting further research.



肝臓がんの約９割を占める肝細胞がん患者の血液で、特定の酵素の働きが強まっていることを東京大学病院の池田准教授（臨床検査医学）らのチームが発見した。
 　この酵素を使った検査では、特に小さながんで従来法より有効性が確認できており、早期発見につながる成果だ。欧州肝臓学会誌８月号に発表する。
　池田准教授らは、代謝などに関わる酵素「ミトコンドリア型クレアチンキナーゼ」に注目。この酵素を用いた検査法を開発し、同病院を受診した肝硬変患者のうち、肝細胞がんを発症した１４７人と発症していない９２人を調べた。その結果、肝細胞がん患者は、未発症患者に比べ、この酵素の働きが約２倍に上昇していた。
　この検査法は、がん患者から正しくがんを検出する確率（感度）が約６０％で、がんが作るたんぱく質を測る従来法（４０～５０％）より良かった。特に２センチ以下のがんでは、従来法が２０～４５％に落ちるのに対し、この検査法ではほとんど変わらなかった。早期発見・治療につながりそうですね。更なる研究を進めて検出感度を高め実用化に持っていって欲しいですね。