Clinical evaluation of T lymphocyte subsets and VEGF, MMP-14 in residual carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation of liver cancer

Objective To detect the levels of T lymphocyte subsets, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), metalloproteinase-14 (MMP-14) in patients with primary liver cancer (HCC) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA), to evaluate the clinical evaluation value of the above indexes in residual carcinoma. Methods From November 2017 to October 2018, 60 HCC patients undergoing RFA operation in our hospital were selected as the observation group. All the patients were diagnosed by liver biopsy. 32 cases of non-residual carcinoma tissues (group A) and 28 cases of residual carcinoma tissues (group B) were collected after RFA operation in the observation group. A total of 40 HCC tissue specimens were collected as control group after simple surgical resection in our hospital during the same time period. CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD4+/CD8+ in the peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry, and the positive expression of VEGF and MMP-14 were detected by immunohistochemical method. Results After treatment, the levels of CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the control group and the observation group were significantly lower than those before treatment, while CD8+ was significantly higher than that before treatment (P<0.01). One month after treatment, the levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+/CD8+ in group A were (73.7±17.1)%, (41.2±10.5)%, (21.3±5.6)%, and (2.0±0.6), respectively, which were significantly better than those in the control group and group B, with statistically significant differences among the three groups (P<0.05). After treatment, 24 cases (85.7%) were positive for VEGF protein and 22 cases (78.6%) were positive for MMP-14 protein in group B, which were significantly higher than those in group A and the control group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Conclusion After RFA, the T lymphocyte subsets of HCC without residual carcinoma were significantly higher, while the levels of VEGF and MMP-14 protein were higher in residual carcinoma tissues. It may be possible to determine the presence of residual lesions in HCC by detecting T lymphocyte subsets, VEGF, and MMP-14 levels in clinic. Key words: Lymphocyte subsets; Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); Radiofrequency ablation (RFA); MMP-14; Primary liver cancer