title: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization enhances expression of Nm23-H1 and TIMP-2 in the tumor tissue of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on expression of nm23-H1 and TIMP-2 in the tumor tissue and prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two patients with resectable HCC were randomized into two equal groups with 36 patients in each: TACE before surgical resection of HCC (Group A) and direct surgical resection of HCC (Group B). All samples were subjected to pathological examination and immunohistochemical staining using nm23-H1 and TIMP-2 antibodies. Expression level and distribution of nm23-H1 and TIMP-2 in tumor and adjacent tissue were assessed. Extrahepatic metastasis and survival time of patients in both groups were evaluated through 36 months follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the tumor tissues from patients in Group A had a higher positive expression of nm23-H1 than Group B (chi2=15.52, p<0.01). Group A also showed a higher positive expression of TIMP-2 than Group B (chi2=9.00, p<0.05). Patients in Group A had a longer mean survival time (36 vs. 28 months in Groups A and B, respectively) and higher survival rate (chi2=5.734, p=0.017).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative TACE enhances the expression of metastasis suppressors nm23-H1 and TIMP-2, and may potentially inhibit metastasis of HCC and increase the survival time of patients with the resectable HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Radiology, Yueyang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China. luwei6702@126.com
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yan-Hao
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yong-Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Zhi-Ying
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2; C517938:NME1 protein, human