ABSTRACT:

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unquestionably a major obstacle in the way of health progress in Egypt, considering its high incidence and extreme fatality. In Egypt most of HCC cases occur on top of advanced liver cirrhosis where it was believed to represent a growth hormone (GH) resistance state. Meanwhile, one of the major molecular pathways in many solid tumors is that of the GH and its downstream pathways.



Aim of the study: To assess the state of expression of growth hormone receptor (GHR) in cases of HCC as compared to those with liver cirrhosis and healthy controls



Subjects & Methods: sixty patients were enrolled in this study. They were arranged into three equal groups: the first contained 20 HCC patients, while the second consisted of 20 cirrhotic patients, and the third represented 20 healthy controls. We compared the immunohistochemistry results of liver tissue biopsies for GHR expression to patients' demographic data, clinical and laboratory findings, as well as the tumor's clinicopathological characteristics.



Results: It was found that HCC patients levels of GHR expression were lower than cirrhotic and control groups which were also correlated with features of tumor aggressiveness.



Conclusion: The down-regulation of GHR was associated with the development and aggressiveness of Hepatitis C-related HCC, regardless of the functional condition of the liver.