الفهرس 
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
Oncofetal and glycoprotein antigens:Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
HCC is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer death, with an estimated annual incidence of 1 million cases (Theise, 2003). The rising incidence of HCC in Egypt may be explained by the increasing prevalence of risk factors such as the emergence of HCV over the same period of time, the contribution of HBV infection, and improvements in screening programs and diagnostic tools, as well as the increased survival rate among patients with cirrhosis allowing time for some of them to develop HCC (Di Bisceglie, 2004, Fallon, 2004). Intermediate filaments (IFs) are major protein components of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells (Bosch et al., 2004). Proteins of the IF family are also found in the cell’s nucleus where they form a dense mesh-like network providing mechanical integrity and biochemical functions at the cytoskeleton chromatin interface (Watany et al., 2017). Vimentin protein (VIM) is one of the most widely expressed proteins of the type III IF protein family, which is present in mesenchymal cells. Further, there are the IF associated proteins (IFAPs) that organize intermediate filaments in bundles and networks. These IFAPs coordinate the interactions between IFs and other cytoskeletal elements and organelles. Together, IFs and IFAPs serve as organizers of cytoplasmic space within cells that make up the tissue architecture, thereby providing stability and strength to various organs (Zeeneldin et al., 2015). In adults, vimentin expression is limited to connective tissue mesenchymal cells, in CNS and in muscle. Because of this, vimentin is often used as a marker of mesenchymally-derived cells or cells undergoing an epithelial-to- mesenchymal transition (EMT) during both normal development and metastatic progression (Bray et al., 2018, Petrick et al., 2020). Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that vimentin is expressed in the Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) of breast and advanced prostate cancer patients (Chiang et al., 2013). However, it remains largely unclear whether EMT-related markers are expressed in CTCs or are involved in progression in the context of HCC (Jinjuvadia et al., 2014). As EMT facilitates the evolution of a subpopulation of tumor cells to more aggressive phenotypes, it would be highly interesting to determine whether EMT occurs in HCC tissue and to correlate EMT occurrence with the formation of CTCs. Moreover, it would be extremely significant to investigate whether EMT-related markers are expressed in CTCs and whether their expression levels may serve as prognostic factors in HCC patients (Jinjuvadia et al., 2014).