title: [Expression of leptin and leptin receptor in hepatocellular carcinoma and the clinicopathological significance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expressions of leptin and leptin receptor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore the clinicopathological significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expressions of leptin and leptin receptor were examined by immunohistochemistry in 81 HCC patients undergoing curative tumor resection. The correlations between the expression of two biomarkers and the clinicopathological factors were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overexpression rate of leptin and leptin receptor in HCC was 56.8% and 35.8%, respectively. No significant correlation was observed between their overexpression (r=0.236, P=0.034). Leptin receptor overexpression was significantly correlated to the tumor size and TNM stage (P<0.05), but not to age, body mass index, α-fetoprotein, hepatitis B surface antigen status, tumor grade, vascular invasion, or liver cirrhosis (P≥0.05). Leptin overexpression showed no significant correlations to the above clinicopathological factors (P≥0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Leptin receptor overexpression may have an inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma. The expression status of leptin receptor decides the action of leptin and leptin receptor after their binding.
authors: Department of Oncology, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China. xingyue281@163.com
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Chen
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Shi
authors: Cheng-ying
authors: CY
authors: Jiang
authors: Qiong
authors: Q
authors: Sun
authors: Ling-xiong
authors: LX
authors: Wang
authors: Guang-hai
authors: GH
authors: Dai