[Expression of wild type and variant estrogen receptors in human hepatocellular carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expression of wild type estrogen receptor (wER) and the exon-5 deleted ER (variant ER, vER) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples, and thereafter analyze the possibility of HCC treatment by endocrine therapy.


METHODS
The mRNA expressions of wER and vER were analysed from 28 cases of HCC by RT-PCR. The expression of ER at the protein level was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC).


RESULTS
IHC results showed that 39.3% of the HCC specimens expressed ER. The mRNA of wER was detected in 89.3% (25/28) of the HCC specimens while that of vER was detected in 96.4%(27/28). Twenty four out of 28 HCC cases (85.7 %) expressed both wER and vER. One out of 28 patients (3.5%) expressed only wER whereas 3 patients out of 28 (10.7%) expressed vER only.


CONCLUSIONS
Ninety six percent(27/28) of the HCC patients expressed vER,which suggests that the expression of vER is an important event in the development of HCC.
Xing
Bao-cai
BC
Department of Surgery, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing 100036, China. xingbaocai88@yahoo.com
Wang
Jia-hong
JH
Wang
Yi
Y
Hao
Chun-yi
CY
Huang
Xin-fu
XF
Wang
Yu
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen