The tumor suppressor NPRL2 in hepatocellular carcinoma plays an important role in progression and can be served as an independent prognostic factor.
OBJECTIVE
Hepatocarcinogenesis is a multifactorial, multistep process that involves the activation of oncogenes or the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes throughout the different stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. NPRL2 is one of the candidate tumor suppressor genes identified on chromosome 3p21.3, a region which frequently contains genetic abnormalities found in the early stages of the development of various human cancers. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate NPRL2 expression in HCC and to explore the prognostic significance of NPRL2.


METHODS
We investigated NPRL2 mRNA expression in 70 HCC specimens, using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, and the correlation between NPRL2 expression and clinicopathologic parameters.


RESULTS
NPRL2 mRNA was found to be expressed equally in both HCC tissues and corresponding non-cancerous liver tissues. However, higher NPRL2 expression correlated significantly with tumor size (P = 0.0062) and serum PIVKA-II levels (P = 0.0002). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that higher NPRL2 mRNA expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (risk ratio 0.39; P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that NPRL2 mRNA expression has prognostic significance for the survival of patients with HCC.
Otani
Satoshi
S
Department of Surgery II, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. satoshi@aa.cyberhome.ne.jp
Takeda
Shin
S
Yamada
Suguru
S
Sakakima
Yoshikazu
Y
Sugimoto
Hiroyuki
H
Nomoto
Shuji
S
Kasuya
Hideki
H
Kanazumi
Naohito
N
Nagasaka
Tetsurou
T
Nakao
Akimasa
A
D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood; D011516:Prothrombin; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; C492816:NPRL2 protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; C008208:acarboxyprothrombin; D011516:Prothrombin