Nm23-H1 expression in intrahepatic or extrahepatic metastases of hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Decreased expression of nm23, a putative metastasis suppressor gene, has been reported to be related to either intrahepatic metastasis or a poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to elucidate the true role of nm23-H1 expression in both intrahepatic and distant metastases of HCC.


METHODS
Thirteen patients with single-nodule HCC, seven patients with HCC having satellite nodules and seven patients with HCCs having extrahepatic metastases were included in this study. The expression of nm23-H1 protein was immunohistochemically examined in both primary and metastatic nodules.


RESULTS
Ten of 13 single-nodule HCCs were found to overexpress nm23-H1 protein. All main tumors, having satellite nodules, were found to overexpress nm23-H protein, except for two HCCs, which only partially expressed nm23-H1 protein. Regarding the nm23-H1 expression in intrahepatic metastases, most nodules overexpressed the protein. The expression of nm23-H1 was found to be low in only one intrahepatic metastasis specimen, while its primary tumor was also found to show a low expression of nm23-H1 protein. Microscopic portal vein invasion was found in three of the five patients studied, and all cancer cells in portal invasion overexpressed nm23-H1 protein. Nm23-H1 protein was expressed in all distant metastatic tumors and the staining intensity of most metastatic nodules was similar to that of the primary tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that nm23-H1 expression did not always decrease but instead tended to increase at both intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastatic sites. Based on these findings, nm23-H1 expression is not considered to be a reliable indicator of either intrahepatic or distant metastasis in HCC.
Shimada
M
M
Department of Surgery II, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Taguchi
K
K
Hasegawa
H
H
Gion
T
T
Shirabe
K
K
Tsuneyoshi
M
M
Sugimachi
K
K
D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D008875:Middle Aged; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D014157:Transcription Factors; C517938:NME1 protein, human; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins