Assessment of the biological malignancy of hepatocellular carcinoma: relationship to clinicopathological factors and prognosis.
It is difficult to determine the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Assessment of the clinicopathological and biological malignancy of HCC may help in determining treatment strategies and predicting outcome. The tumor DNA content, p53 protein expression, proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index, and argyrophilic proteins of nuclear organizer regions were used as markers of biological malignancy. A correlation between these biological parameters and clinicopathological factors was sought. DNA aneuploidy was observed in 31 of 80 tumors (38.8%). Aneuploidy increased as differentiation decreased. The overall survival rate of patients with aneuploid tumors was significantly poorer than that of patients with diploid tumors. p53 overexpression was observed in 18 of 80 tumors (22.5%). The incidence of p53 positivity increased significantly with increasing tumor size and poorer differentiation. The overall survival rate of p53-positive patients was significantly worse than that of p53-negative patients. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index and the mean number of argyrophilic proteins of nuclear organizer regions were higher in more poorly differentiated lesions. We conclude that DNA ploidy and p53 expression are useful prognostic indicators in HCC. Cell proliferation increases as HCC progresses. With progression, tumors tend to become more poorly differentiated.
Mise
K
K
First Department of Surgery, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Japan.
Tashiro
S
S
Yogita
S
S
Wada
D
D
Harada
M
M
Fukuda
Y
Y
Miyake
H
H
Isikawa
M
M
Izumi
K
K
Sano
N
N
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000782:Aneuploidy; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D004171:Diploidy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008940:Mitotic Index; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53