Gut Microbiota in People With Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

Background: The human gut microbiota consists of approximately 100 trillion microbial cells whose disruption leads to many diseases including inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer to name a few. Recent studies have shown that cancer patients have an altered gut microbiota when compared to healthy controls. Intestinal microbiota has been proposed to contribute to the start and progression of a number of liver diseases, such as alcoholic liver disease (ALD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), liver cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We plan to investigate the relationship between the gut microbiota and the immune system in patients with HCC. In recent years, immune regulation at the level of the tumor microenvironment has become very important in different types of cancer. Objectives: To collect blood/stool/urine/tumor samples and rectal swabs from HCC patients undergoing resection of primary liver tumors at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and to perform an analysis of the interaction of tumors, immune responses and the gut microbiome. Eligibility: * Patients 18 years of age and older * Patients undergoing liver resection for primary liver cancer * Patients must be willing to provide informed consent Design * Blood, stool, rectal swabs, urine and/or tumor samples may be collected from consenting subjects seen at Mount Sinai Medical Center at the initial visit and/or at follow-up visits. * Tumor samples will only be obtained from patients undergoing surgery. * Patients will be asked to answer a questionnaire.