UH researchers working on early detection of liver cancer

HONOLULU—Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Its incidence is rising in the United States, particularly in Hawaii where incidence and death rates are the highest nationally.

In an effort to improve early detection, two scientists from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and The Queen’s Medical Center were given a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop new methods that can better detect liver cancer.

Co-leaders of the study are Gordon Okimoto, Ph.D., a research scientist at the UH Cancer Center, and Sandy Kwee, M.D., director of positron emission tomography (PET) research at The Queen’s Medical Center.

The detection process involves joint analysis of gene expression and imaging data of the liver. Researchers will utilize positron emission tomography, or PET, to measure the levels of specific molecules in the body that have the potential to detect the presence of liver cancer. Additionally, they will profile global gene expression patterns in cancer-prone and normal tissue samples obtained from the imaged liver and create a catalog of novel cancer-related molecules that may aid in the early detection of liver cancer and serve as drug targets for the personalized treatment of the disease. 

“By improving our ability to detect liver disease and cancer at an earlier stage, we can greatly reduce deaths and improve patient outcomes,” Kwee said.

People infected with hepatitis viruses are more prone to developing liver cancer than the rest of the population, and some of the highest hepatitis rates in the world exist in Asia. Consequently, Asian immigrants who move to Hawaii are more likely to be carriers of the virus.

“Competition for federal funding of cancer research is intense, and we are fortunate to receive this award,” Okimoto said. This grant represents collaborative research at its best and showcases the high level of science that we are conducting here in Hawaii.” 

Fellow study investigators include Linda Wong, M.D., Brenda Hernandez, Ph.D., Naoky Tsai, M.D. and Owen Chan, M.D., Ph.D. , from the UH Cancer Center. This is the first funded research project of the Hawaii Cancer Consortium, an entity formed last year to promote collaboration among state partners engaged in translational cancer research. A primary goal of the Hawaii Cancer Consortium is to accelerate the translation of new findings in cancer research to the clinics for the benefit of patients in Hawaii, the Pacific Basin and beyond.