Expression and clinical significance of TAp73alpha, p53, PCNA and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To study the prognostic role of TAp73alpha, p53, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and apoptosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgical tumor ablation.


METHODS
Forty-seven human resected HCC tissues and 42 adjacent non-cancerous tissues were studied with 10 normal liver tissues as control group. TAp73alpha, p53, and PCNA were detected with Elivision immunohistochemistry. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated d-UTP-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method was used to detect the apoptosis cells. All clinical and pathological materials were analyzed by SPSS10.0 statistical package.


RESULTS
TAp73alpha overexpressed in HCC tissues (36.2%) when compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (2.38%, P<0.005) and normal liver tissues (0, P<0.01). Mutant type p53 (mt-p53) overexpressed in HCC tissues (38.3%) when contracted with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (16.7%, P<0.05) and normal liver tissues (0, P<0.01). Proliferation index (PI) level in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (30.34%+/-4.46% vs 27.88%+/-5.89%, t, P = 0.028). Apoptosis index (AI) level in HCC tissues was higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (8.62%+/-2.28% vs 7.38%+/-2.61%, t, P = 0.019). Expression of TAp73alpha was associated with lymph node metastasis and mt-p53, with r = 0.407 and 0.265, respectively. Expression of mt-p53 was associated with Edmondson's stage and AFP, with r = 0.295 and -0.357, respectively. In Kaplan-Meier univariant analysis, TAp73alpha, AFP, TNM stage, portal vein invasion, liver membrane invasion and HBsAg correlated with prognosis (log rank, P = 0.039, 0.012, 0.002, 0.000, 0.014, 0.007, respectively). Multivariant Cox regression analysis showed that TAp73alpha, AFP, TNM stage, portal vein invasion, liver membrane invasion and age were independent factors of prognosis.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that TAp73alpha can be used as a prognostic indicator of patients with HCC undergoing surgical tumor ablation. AFP, TNM, portal vein invasion, liver membrane invasion and age also have a potency of predicting the prognosis of HCC.
Qin
Hai-Xia
HX
Department of Medical Oncology, First Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 1 Jiankang Xilu, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China. qinhaixia100925@sina.com.cn
Nan
Ke-Jun
KJ
Yang
Guang
G
Jing
Zhao
Z
Ruan
Zhi-Ping
ZP
Li
Chun-Li
CL
Xu
Rui
R
Guo
Hui
H
Sui
Chen-Guang
CG
Wei
Yong-Chang
YC
D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072160:Tumor Protein p73; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D000072160:Tumor Protein p73; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins