Prognostic significance of Bcl-xL in human hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Proliferation and apoptosis of liver cancer cells are closely related phenomena. We investigated the correlation between overexpression of Bcl-xL, an anti-apoptosis-related protein of the Bcl-2 family, and the clinical course of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).


METHODS
Specimens from 7 HCC patients were used for Western blotting and immunoelectron microscopy tests. Samples from 33 HCC patients who had undergone hepatectomies were used for immunohistochemical staining. The degrees of expression of Bcl-xL and Ki-67, as an index of HCC mitosis severity, were each classified into 2 groups.


RESULTS
With the use of Western blot analysis, enhanced immunoreactivity of Bcl-xL was found in cancerous specimens. Bcl-xL overexpression was found in cancer specimens in 21 of 33 patients (63.6%). The overall survival (P=.019) and disease-free survival (P=.030) rates of the group overexpressing Bcl-xL were definitely poorer. The Ki-67 higher labeling index LI > 10) group had a poorer survival rate (P=.016). There were significant correlations between Bcl-xL and overall survival and disease-free survival. Multivariate analyses revealed that Bcl-xL, tumor size, histologic portal invasion, and histologic metastatic foci were independent prognostic factors for overall survival and disease-free survival.


CONCLUSIONS
These results showed Bcl-xL in HCC specimens, suggesting that Bcl-xL was a significant prognostic factor for disease progression in human HCC.
Watanabe
Jota
J
Department of Surgery, Ehime University School of Medicine, Onsen-gun, Japan.
Kushihata
Fumiki
F
Honda
Kazuo
K
Sugita
Atsuro
A
Tateishi
Norihiko
N
Mominoki
Katsumi
K
Matsuda
Seiji
S
Kobayashi
Nobuaki
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D051020:bcl-X Protein
C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051020:bcl-X Protein