Role of CD44 expression in non-tumor tissue on intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
CD44 is well known to be one of the cancer stem cell markers and is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell-cell interactions, cell adhesion, and cell migration. We investigated the role of CD44 expression in both tumor and non-tumor tissues on recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).


METHODS
Forty-eight patients with HCC who underwent hepatic resection at our institution were enrolled in this study. CD44 expressions in both tumor and non-tumor tissues were examined using real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The patients were divided into two groups: high and low gene-expression group, based on the CD44 expression level. We compared the clinicopathological factors between the high expression and low expression groups in both tumor and non-tumor tissues.


RESULTS
In the tumor tissues, the gene-expression levels of CD44 did not correlate with any clinicopathological parameters. The disease-free survival rate showed no significant difference between the two groups. In non-tumor tissues, although there was no significant relationship between the CD44 expression levels and clinicopathological factors, disease-free survival rate in the CD44 low expression group was significantly better than that in the CD44 high expression group (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, the risk factors in tumor recurrence were presence of microscopic portal invasion and high expression level of CD44.


CONCLUSIONS
The CD44 expressions in the non-tumor tissues may predict HCC recurrence.
Department of Surgery, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan.
Lkhagva-Ochir
LO
Tovuu
Satoru
S
Imura
Tohru
T
Utsunomiya
Yuji
Y
Morine
Tetsuya
T
Ikemoto
Yusuke
Y
Arakawa
Hiroki
H
Mori
Jun
J
Hanaoka
Mami
M
Kanamoto
Koji
K
Sugimoto
Shuichi
S
Iwahashi
Yu
Y
Saito
Shinichiro
S
Yamada
Michihito
M
Asanoma
Hidenori
H
Miyake
Mitsuo
M
Shimada
D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000235:genetics*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000235:genetics*
C497483:CD44 protein, human; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors