title: Clinical significance of serum vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the correlation between serum vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) levels and clinicopathological features in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-six patients who underwent HCC resection were recruited in the study. Preoperative serum levels of soluble VCAM-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum VCAM-1 level in HCC patients was inversely correlated with platelet count (r=-0.431, P<0.001) and serum albumin level (r=-0.279, P<0.001), and positively correlated with serum bilirubin level (r=0.379, P<0.001). Serum VCAM-1 level was not associated with tumor characteristics such as tumor size, venous invasion, presence of microsatellite nodules, tumor grade and tumor stage. Serum VCAM-1 level was significantly higher in HCC patients with cirrhosis compared with those without cirrhosis (median 704 vs 546 ng/mL, P<0.001). Furthermore, a significantly better disease-free survival was observed in HCC patients with low VCAM-1 level (P=0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum VCAM-1 level appears to reflect the severity of underlying chronic liver disease rather than the tumor status in HCC patients, and low preoperative serum VCAM-1 level is predictive of better disease-free survival after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Liver Disease, Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Joanna-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Ronnie-T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Cindy-S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Sheung-Tat
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1