title: [Expression of estrogen receptor α in hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical significance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression and its clinical significance of estrogen receptor (ERα) and phosphorylated estrogen receptor (p-ERα) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The associations between ERα, p-ERα and IL-6 were also analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of ERα, p-ERα and IL-6 in tumor tissues from 77 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma. The relations between ERα and the clinical pathological parameters and prognosis were also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive rates of ERα, p-ERα and IL-6 in hepatocellular carcinoma were 39.0% (30/77), 45.4% (35/77) and 72.7% (56/77), respectively. The expression of ERα and p-ERα were negatively correlated with the expression of IL-6 (r=-0.468, P<0.01; r=-0.370, P<0.01, respectively). The positive rate of ERα in patients with tumor size≤5 cm, serum level of alpha-fetoprotein<400 µg/L, with complete encapsulation and non-microvascular invasion was significantly higher than those with tumor size>5 cm, serum level of alpha-fetoprotein≥400 µg/L, non-complete encapsulation and with microvascular invasion (all P<0.05). The overall survival rates of ERα-positive and ERα-negative patients were 66.7% and 23.4% (P<0.05). And the disease-free survival rates of ERα-positive and ERα-negative patients were 83.3% and 57.4% (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tumor biological features of ERα-positive patients are better than that of ERα-negative patients. The role of ERα in hepatocellular carcinoma may be related to IL-6 level.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Liver Cancer, Department of Hepatic Surgery, Affiliated Provincial Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China.
authors.forename: Sheng-jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ge-liang
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Wei-dong
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Yong-cang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian-sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jin-liang
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Wei-hua
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Yong-sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Wen-bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chuan-hai
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C506487:ESR1 protein, human; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6