Screening for Copy Number Alterations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma using High-Resolution Multiplex Paralogue Ratio Test
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Unlike most other cancers, mortality from HCC is on the rise. The majority of HCC develops on the background of chronic liver disease providing a well-defined population to screen. The current standard of care for screening is hindered by complex logistics of bi-annual hospital visits for ultrasound scanning of the liver and blood testing for the protein biomarker Alpha Fetoprotein. Both of which provide a detection sensitivity of about 60% for HCC within a curable stage. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) studies have demonstrated that copy number alterations (CNAs) are frequent and early features in hepatocarcinogenesis. NGS is relatively costly and not available in every diagnostic lab therefore its potential translation as a population screening tool in the current NHS economic context is challenging. In this talk, we will describe the potential to screen for CNAs using a PCR-based technique called the Paralogue Ratio Test.
Date: 7 November 2024, 16:30 (Thursday, 4th week, Michaelmas 2024)
Venue: TGLU Lecture - Oxford; George Pickering Ed Cen; Seminar Room 4A and on MS Teams
Speakers: Dr. Waleed Fateen (Consultant Hepatologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), Professor John Armour (Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Nottingham), Miss Nouf ALSultan (PhD student at the University of Nottingham)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: University and NHS 
Editor: Elizabeth Pickmann