title: Positive glypican-3 expression in early hepatocellular carcinoma predicts recurrence after hepatectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a new prognostic factor after curative hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the expression of GPC3 is known to be associated with postoperative metastasis. However, the role of GPC3 in patients with early HCC remains unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively studied 55 patients with early HCC (total 99 nodules) who underwent initial hepatectomy between 1995 and 2010. Clinicopathological features and surgical outcomes were compared in relation to GPC3 expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The GPC3-positive expression was seen in 28 of 55 patients (50.9 %) with early HCC (44 of 99 nodules). The GPC3-positive expression was significantly associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (P = 0.0019) and with multiple early HCCs (P < 0.0001). The 5-year disease-free survival rate was significantly lower in patients with GPC3-positive early HCC (27 %) than in patients with GPC3-negative early HCC (62 %, P = 0.0036). The GPC3 expression was a significant independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival. However, it showed no significant difference in overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The GPC3 expression is capable to be a new prognostic factor for disease-free survival in patients with early HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Gastroenterology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan, ipchen39@gmail.com.
authors.forename: I-Pei
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shun-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ariizumi
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D053673:Glypicans / Q000378:metabolism*; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C105937:GPC3 protein, human; D053673:Glypicans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins