Elevated expression of valosin-containing protein (p97) in hepatocellular carcinoma is correlated with increased incidence of tumor recurrence.
OBJECTIVE
Valosin-containing protein (VCP; also known as p97) has been shown to be associated with antiapoptotic function and metastasis via activation of the nuclear factor-kappaB signaling pathway. In this study, association of VCP expression with recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and patient survival was examined.


METHODS
VCP expression in 170 patients (139 male and 31 female) with ages ranging from 31 to 81 years (median, 61 years) was analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry, in which staining intensity in tumor cells was categorized as weaker (level 1) or equal to or stronger (level 2) than that in endothelial cells.


RESULTS
Immunohistochemically, 57 patients (35.2%) showed level 1, and 105 patients (64.8%) showed level 2, VCP expression. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed higher VCP mRNA expression in level 2 patients (n = 7) than level 1 (n = 4) (P <.05). Patients with VCP-level 2 HCC showed higher rate of portal vein invasion in the tumor (P <.01) and poorer disease-free and overall survival (P <.0001 and P <.05, respectively) compared with level 1 patients. Multivariate analysis revealed VCP expression level, tumor multiplicity, and degree of fibrosis in the noncancerous liver tissue to be independent prognosticators for disease-free and overall survival. VCP level was an indicator for disease-free survival in each early- (I and II) and advanced- (III and IV) stage group of pathologic tumor-node-metastasis classification (P <.001 and P <.01, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
VCP expression level has prognostic significance for disease-free and overall survival of patients with HCC.
Yamamoto
Shinji
S
Departments of Surgery and Clinical Oncology, and Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Tomita
Yasuhiko
Y
Nakamori
Shoji
S
Hoshida
Yoshihiko
Y
Nagano
Hiroaki
H
Dono
Keizo
K
Umeshita
Koji
K
Sakon
Masato
M
Monden
Morito
M
Aozasa
Katsuyuki
K
D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000074405:Valosin Containing Protein
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; C000614178:VCP protein, human; D000074405:Valosin Containing Protein