title: Des-γ-carboxy prothrombin and c-Met were concurrently and extensively expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and associated with tumor recurrence.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate co-expression of des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) and c-Met in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its significance in predicting tumor recurrence after surgical resection. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to examine DCP and c-Met expression in HCC samples collected from 153 patients. DCP and c-Met staining were observed in tumor areas in 63.4% (97/153) and 66.7% (102/153) of patients, respectively, and these figures are markedly higher than the rates at which adjacent nontumorous areas tested positive of 13.1% (20/154) and 28.8% (44/153). Furthermore, DCP and c-Met were consistently present or absent in HCC regions in 51.0% (78/153) and 20.9% (32/153) of patients, in adjacent nontumorous regions in 7.2% (11/153) and 65.4% (100/153) of patients, and in whole regions including HCC and adjacent nontumorous regions in 58.2% (89/153) and 19.6% (30/153) of patients. These results indicate that DCP and c-Met usually appeared or disappeared in HCC in a parallel manner. c-Met was found to be related to tumor recurrence in patients with HCC. When combined with DCP, c-Met is more effective at predicting non-recurrence of HCC than c-Met alone. Expression of neither DCP nor c-Met in HCC regions and adjacent regions signified a low rate of tumor recurrence after surgical resection. Results of the current study suggested that DCP and c-Met are commonly and concurrently expressed in HCC and their absence is associated with a low risk of tumor recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Xiaobin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inagaki
authors.forename: Peipei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kokudo
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000378:metabolism*; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011498:Protein Precursors; C008208:acarboxyprothrombin; D011516:Prothrombin; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met