Clinicopathological implications of immunohistochemically demonstrated mucin core protein expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.
METHODS
We examined the expression of mucin core protein 1 (MUC1) immunohistochemically in 186 surgical specimens of histopathologically nonmucinous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and compared the clinicopathological features in patients with MUC1-positive HCC (MUC1-positive group) with those in patients with MUC1-negative HCC (MUC1-negative group).


RESULTS
MUC1 immunoreactively was present in 85 of the 186 HCCs. Of the clinicopathological variables examined, the serum concentration of alpha-fetoprotein, tumor differentiation, bile duct invasion, lymph node metastasis, and cytokeratin 19 expression exhibited significant associations with MUC1 expression. Although cumulative and tumor-free survival rates were not different between the two groups, the percentage of patients with first recurrence of HCC in distant organs (distant metastasis) within 2 years after surgery was significantly higher in the MUC1-positive group than in the MUC1-negative group (P = 0.0104). The risk ratio of MUC1 positivity for this type of distant metastasis was 3.156 (95% confidence interval, 1.064-9.358).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with MUC1-positive HCC, careful follow-up is necessary, not only for intrahepatic recurrence but also for distant metastasis, after the resection of primary HCC.
Ichikawa
Tsuyoshi
T
Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.
Yamamoto
Takatsugu
T
Uenishi
Takahiro
T
Tanaka
Hiromu
H
Takemura
Shigekazu
S
Ogawa
Masao
M
Tanaka
Shogo
S
Suehiro
Shigefumi
S
Hirohashi
Kazuhiro
K
Kubo
Shoji
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D007633:Keratins