Concordance of cancer-associated cytokines and mitochondrial DNA deletions in individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma and people living with HIV in Ghana
An article in BMC Gastroenterology, published November 11, 2025
Authors: James Odame Aboagye, Ruth Ayanful-Torgby, Lei Zhou, Prince Peter Wormenor, Vincent Ganu, Kenneth Tachi, Bernard Nii Akrashie Attoh, Miriam Mensah, Timothy Kuuguu, Sedzro Kojo Mensah, George Boateng Kyei, Elijah Paintsil
The study explored the connection between liver cancer and HIV in people in Ghana. Researchers compared blood samples from individuals with HIV and those with liver cancer to see if they had similar levels of certain immune system proteins (cytokines) and specific DNA changes in their cell’s powerhouses (mitochondria). They found that both groups had similar levels of the same cytokines related to liver cancer and also had high levels of mitochondrial DNA changes. This suggests that people with HIV in Ghana might be at a higher risk of developing liver cancer and highlights the potential for using these immune markers to identify and monitor at-risk populations.