Column

Do you have any interest in liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or doing research about HCC?
We hope the relevant information between HCC and the STAM^TM model will be useful to you.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, the fifth most frequent form of cancer, and the third most common cause of death (Shariff MI et al, 2009). Approximately 500,000 new patients are diagnosed with HCC each year (Motola-Kuba D et al, 2006).
STAM^TM mice were originally developed as a mouse model for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but they can induce HCC in 100% of mice after just 20 weeks.

The therapeutic strategy against HCC is determined by tumor stage and liver function. Improvements in stratification contribute to extending the survival of patients.
The STAM^TM model is the first murine model in which the concept of human stratification is applicable by demonstrating the following features:

1. HCC with the average tumor growth rate of 150 % from 16 to 20 weeks of ag

2. Over 4 HCC nodules in any single mouse

3. No visible metastasis and relatively preserved liver function

4. HCC development from NASH identical to progression in human patients in a short period of time

These observations suggested that HCC in STAM^TM mice is equivalent to stages B to C of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system for humans.
We believe that the application of the stratification concept to experimental animals will create new avenues to establish pharmacological intervention against HCC.