Significance of hepatocellular proliferation in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma from anti-hepatitis C virus-positive cirrhotic patients

Abstract

The mean BrdU LI plus or minus standard deviation for 14 cirrhotic patients with high-DNA synthesis activity (BrdU LI > or = 1.5%) was 2.7 +/- 0.8%, and this was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than that for 14 cirrhotic patients with low-DNA synthesis activity (BrdU LI < 1.5%, 0.5 +/- 0.3%). Nine of 14 (64.3%) of the cirrhotic patients with high-DNA synthesis activity developed HCC in the 3-year period, in contrast to only 2 of 14 (14.3%) of the cirrhotic patients with low-DNA synthesis activity P < 0.05).