Hepatic regeneration gene expression signature predicts late recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma

While we and others have uncovered and validated several genomic predictors for metastatic recurrences, a molecular or genomic predictor that can reliably identify high-risk patients for late de novo recurrence has not been firmly established. We analyzed previously reported gene expression data from human livers that underwent partial hepatectomy or transplantation, which were representative physiological conditions that trigger liver regeneration signals. We generated gene expression data from tumor and matched non-tumor surrounding tissues of 72 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent surgical resection as the primary treatment. We used these gene expression data to develop a new prognostification model for recurrence of HCC after surgery. We generated gene expression data from tumor and matched non-tumor surrounding tissues of 72 HCC patients who underwent surgical resection as the primary treatment.