title: Aurora kinase B is a predictive factor for the aggressive recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patterns of cancer recurrence hold the key to prognosis after curative resection. This retrospective study aimed to identify a predictor and therapeutic candidate for aggressive recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary HCC tissues from 107 patients who had curative resection were analysed. Genome-wide gene expression profiles were investigated using a microarray technique, and clustering analysis was carried out based on the first diagnosis of recurrence according to the Milan criteria. Immunohistochemical expression and array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) were also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microarray analysis revealed overexpression of Aurora kinase B, a chromosome passenger protein kinase, as the most significant predictor of the aggressive recurrence of HCC. Aurora kinase B protein expression was significantly associated with aggressive recurrence (P < 0.001) and prognosis (P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified Aurora kinase B as the only independent predictor of aggressive recurrence of HCC (P = 0.031). Array-CGH analysis showed that genomic instability was closely related to Aurora kinase B expression (P = 0.011).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aurora kinase B is an effective predictor of aggressive HCC recurrence, in relation to the genomic instability. It might be worth considering as a molecular target for the adjuvant therapy of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Information Centre for Medical Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. shinji.msrg@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arii
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mogushi
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Imoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eishi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inazawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D064107:Aurora Kinase B; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D015870:Gene Expression; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; C576921:AURKB protein, human; D064107:Aurora Kinase B; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases