title: Clinicopathological and prognostic implications of arginase expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the correlation of Arg-1 expression with clinicopathologic factors and prognosis of HCC patients, including recurrence and survival rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the expression of Arg-1 in HCC by immunohistochemistry and studied its correlation with a series of clinicopathologic features and prognositic parameters of patients with HCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found patients with higher Arg-1 expression showed less aggressive features based on less portal vein invasion (chi2 = 10.794, df = 1, p = 0.001), less microvessel invasion (chi2 = 4.247, df = 1, p = 0.039), lower TNM stage (chi2 = 4.992, df = 1, p = 0.025), and better differentiated histology (chi2 = 24.155, df= 1, p < 0.001). Among them, portal vein invasion (p = 0.024, 95% CI 1.010 - 2.321), microvessel invasion (p = 0.043, 95% CI 1.014 - 3.225), histology (p = 0.001, 95% CI 2.230 - 5.934), and TNM stage (p = 0.001, 95% CI 1.364 - 3.401) have been suggested as prognostic factors in HCC patients. Furthermore, the enhanced expression of Arg-1 in HCC appears to be associated with a lower recurrence rate and prolonged overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that Arg-1 may play a tumor suppressive role in HCC and could be a new, promising prognostic biomarker for HCC patients.
authors.affiliation: First Hospital of Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China. morwindbeiyong@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Huahui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Weili
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Guochun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Fu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Lisong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001119:Arginase / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001119:Arginase