Genetically Inducible Porcine Model of Primary and Metastatic HCC in Comorbidity Host Environments for Interventional Radiology-Guided Detection and Treatment
Abstract
Liver scarring, known as cirrhosis, is a common medical condition in the military and Veteran population that may result from liver damage related to alcohol use or infection with hepatitis virus. Liver scarring places people at risk for developing liver cancer, which is a deadly disease that is expected to be more common in the future. More than 35,000 Americans will receive a liver cancer diagnosis in 2015. Liver cancer is more common in males than females. The specific type of cancer we are studying is called hepatocellular cancer, which represents approximately 80% of liver cancers. Because patients with liver cancer usually cannot get an operation, treatment options are often limited. This means that only one in every six people diagnosed with liver cancer will survive more than 5 years from their original diagnosis. Interventional Radiologists, who are doctors who specialize in x-ray guided procedures used to treat cancer, can treat liver tumors by blocking off blood vessels going to them. These blood vessels are blocked with small particles injected through a thin tube threaded from the outside into the blood vessels supplying them. No surgery or cuts are necessary. This is currently the gold standard of treatment for many liver cancers. Although these treatments allow people to live longer, there is room for improvement. Because many advances in medical treatments are made through testing of procedures in animals, it is important to have an animal system that is very close to the same as human disease. Unfortunately, right now no such system exists for liver cancer. We aim to use pigs to study liver cancer with the ultimate goal of improving human cancer treatment for liver cancer. If our study is successful, we will be able to test new therapies for liver cancer in humans so that patients can live longer and more comfortable lives. This study will try to develop liver scarring and liver cancer in pigs. New medical treatments, as well as those that exist right now, can be tested in order to decide which treatments are best for potentially curing disease. Because of how close the pig and human livers function, are structured, and the similarity of liver disease, the use of these pigs will allow testing of promising treatments against deadly liver cancer disease. Conducting these types of studies in pigs before humans allows us to learn what may be most beneficial to human cancer patients. The results of this study may greatly reduce the risks to humans when they need treatment for liver cancer. For example, these experiments and future experiments may help doctors to know which treatments are best for liver cancer patients. This can include the type of particle that is used to block the tumor s blood supply or whether or not the patient should also receive another type of therapy in addition to blocking the blood supply. Because these pigs are such a strong model for liver cancer research, our study may have patient-related outcomes within 3 years, and as soon as 18 months. In addition to helping patients who have liver cancer, we think that these pigs can help us to diagnose liver cancer earlier. The goal of our study is to close gaps between early detection, diagnosis, screening, and treatment of liver cancer. We think that using these pigs to study liver cancer will be of great benefit to all Americans by providing us a reliable model to study tumor growth and treatment of tumors. This study will allow for future studies in pigs that can help to define new treatments for liver cancer. Our study may help military and Veteran populations, as well as the American population, who have liver scarring and cancer to live longer with higher quality of life.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1610339
Entities
People
- Ron C Gaba
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Illinois at Chicago