Multiple hepatocellular carcinomas at the early stage have different clonality

Background: The clonality of hepatocellular carcinoma is still controversial. To evaluate the clonality of this cancer, mostly small multiple hepatocellular carcinomas of 18 patients were analyzed by DNA finger-printing. Methods: DNA from the liver tissues was digested with Hinfl. After gel electrophoresis, in gel-hybridization with a synthetic oligonucleotide probe GTGGTGGTGGTGGTG was performed. The band patterns were compared among the tumors and the nontumor part. In patients positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), the Integration pattern of hepatitis B viral DNA in liver tissues was also analyzed. Results: Seven of the 9 HBsAg-positive patients had tumors with different clonalitles by both methods. In the remaining 9 HBsAg-negative patients, 4 had different band patterns in their tumors by DNA fingerprinting. Conclusions: Multiple hepatocellular carcinomas frequently have different clonalitles; this finding reiterates the importance of eliminating the underlying cause and the contributing factors of hepatocarcinogenesis.