title: Dissimilar immunohistochemical expression of ERK and AKT between paired biopsy and hepatectomy tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Biomarker studies using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining have not been successful for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to examine whether the tissue procurement process influences the protein expression levels detected by IHC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two tissue pairs of HCC that had been both preoperatively biopsied and then surgically resected were included in the study. IHC staining was used to determine expression of target molecules, all of which were graded according to the percentage of positively stained tumor cells. The expression of beta-catenin was analyzed according to the localization of positive staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Biopsied and surgically resected tissues exhibited dissimilar phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) and phosphorylated AKT expression levels (kappa=0.025 and 0.153, respectively). On the contrary, p53 exhibited similar expression levels, and beta-catenin exhibited similar staining localization patterns in biopsied and surgically resected tissues (kappa=0.729 and 0.654, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biopsied HCC tissues and their corresponding resected HCC tissues have inconsistent IHC-detected ERK and AKT expressions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 10002, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Yu-Yun
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Chi-Long
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ming-Chih
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Chien-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hui-Ching
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Chih-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Ann-Lii
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases