A blood-based epigenetic test for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

e15142 Background: HCC is a highly prevalent disease in East Asia, largely due to the prevalence of chronic active hepatitis B and C infection. Despite screening efforts, the majority of HCC patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, leading to high mortality rates. Genetic and epigenetic alterations involved in the pathogenesis of HCC are known. The higher order chromosomal structures reflecting aberrant transcriptional states of these genes can be measured via techniques such as chromosome conformation capture. Detection of these changes in peripheral blood may provide an accurate test for the early cancer detection. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 105 patients with HCC and 100 age and gender matched controls. Patient and control samples were also matched for hepatitis B and C infection status. Samples from 24 HCC patients and 24 controls have been analysed. Fifteen genes known to be dysregulated in HCC were investigated. Potential higher order juxtaposition sites in the candidate genes we...