title: Hepatoma-derived growth factor is a novel prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is involved in hepatocarcinogenesis, as well as in liver development and regeneration. This study investigated the correlation of HDGF expression with differentiation and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  HDGF expression in 100 patients with HCC (81 men and 19 women) with ages ranging from 34 to 81 years (median, 61 years) receiving surgical treatment was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. HDGF messenger RNA expression was evaluated in 10 cases by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The immunostaining pattern in HCCs was categorized as a positive HDGF index (showing positive staining in >90% of tumor cells in both nucleus and cytoplasm) or a negative HDGF index (all others).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-seven cases (27%) showed a positive and 73 (73%) showed a negative HDGF index. HDGF messenger RNA expression was significantly higher in four cases with a positive HDGF index than in six with a negative index. Cases with well-differentiated histological characteristics showed a higher rate of positive HDGF index than those with a poorly differentiated subtype. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed significantly poorer disease-free and overall survivals in patients with a positive HDGF index compared with patients with a negative index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest the potential utility of HDGF immunohistochemistry in determining the prognosis of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamada-oka 2-2, Suita, 565-0871 Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Yorihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hirayuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uyama
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshida
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aozasa
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakon
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawase
authors.forename: Morito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monden
authors.forename: Hideji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; C051610:hepatoma-derived growth factor