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World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2013; 19(17): 2587-2590
Published online May 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i17.2587
Mycotoxins are conventional and novel risk biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma
Yasunobu Matsuda, Toshifumi Wakai, Masayuki Kubota, Mami Osawa, Ayumi Sanpei, Shun Fujimaki
Yasunobu Matsuda, Ayumi Sanpei, Shun Fujimaki, Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Niigata 951-8518, Japan
Toshifumi Wakai, Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8510, Japan
Masayuki Kubota, Mami Osawa, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8510, Japan
Author contributions: Matsuda Y collected the materials and wrote the manuscript; Wakai T discussed the topic; Kubota M supervised the publication of this commentary; Osawa M, Sanpei A, and Fujimaki S collected the materials.
Correspondence to: Yasunobu Matsuda, MD, Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 2-746 Asahimachi-dori, Niigata 951-8518, Japan. yasunobu@med.niigata-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-25-2272357 Fax: +81-25-2270749
Received: January 23, 2013
Revised: March 10, 2013
Accepted: March 21, 2013
Published online: May 7, 2013
Processing time: 103 Days and 16 Hours
Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant disease with poor prognosis. To improve the clinical outcome, early diagnosis of HCC arising from nonviral agents and hepatitis virus is important. Among several etiological factors, mycotoxins defined as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) might be one of the critical risk factors for nonviral HCC. Aflatoxin B1 is the most well-known carcinogenic mycotoxin for HCC, but the role of the other types of mycotoxin remains unclear. Several studies have reported that a chromatographic separation technique based on high-performance liquid chromatography can successfully detect the concentration of mycotoxins in plasma. Recently, serum level of ochratoxin A (OTA), a widely distributed mycotoxin classified as Group 2B by IARC, was evaluated in HCC patients in Egypt. The results suggested that serum OTA levels might be a good biomarker for HCC. In this article, we review recent studies of OTA, and discuss its possible significance as a biomarker of HCC.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Mycotoxin; Aflatoxin; Ochratoxin; High-performance liquid chromatography

Core tip: Mycotoxins are one of the possible important carcinogens of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, a chromatographic separation technique based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been recognized as a useful method for the quantitative analyses of mycotoxins in the sera of individuals. Using this technique, the serum levels of ochratoxin A, a type of food mycotoxin widely spread in cereals, has been recently reported to be increased in the sera of HCC patients in Egypt. HPLC-based analysis of mycotoxins in the clinical samples would provide some new epidemiological information about non-viral HCC.