Low MIB-1 labeling index in anti-HCV positive hepatocellular carcinoma.
It has been reported that hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients survive longer than hepatitis B virus-related patients. In this study, since HCC patients positive for anti-HCV antibody had significantly longer disease-free survival (p<0.05), we evaluated the proliferative activity of 58 resected HCCs and the status of their viral infections. Ki-67 (MIB-1) immunostaining, argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions and c-myc gene amplification were examined as parameters of proliferation, and p53 overexpression was examined in relation to clinicopathologic features and prognosis. Thirty-nine patients with HCC (67%) were positive for anti-HCV antibody alone, five (9%) were negative for both anti-HCV and HBV antibodies, two (3%) were positive for both anti-HCV and HBV antibodies, and 12 (21%) had HBsAg alone. HCC patients with anti-HCV antibody had a lower MIB-1 labeling index (LI) than HCC patients negative for the antibody (p<0.05), irrespective of the serum HBsAg status. However, there was no significant correlation between anti-HCV antibody and other proliferative parameters. MIB-1 could simply be related to cellular proliferation. On the other hand, the other parameters may be related to tumor progression as well as proliferation. HCV-related HCC does have lower proliferative activity and a better prognosis.
Second Department of Surgery, Gunma University School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
A
A
Watanuki
S
S
Ohwada
T
T
Fukusato
S
S
Kawate
F
F
Makita
Y
Y
Morishita
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region / Q000378:metabolism; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53