title: Identification of Homer1 as a potential prognostic marker for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the present study was to analyze whether Homer1 is a potential prognostic marker for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of Homer1 in ICC tissue was detected with immunohistochemistry and levels of protein in ICC and paratumor tissues were evaluated by Western blotting. Survival analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method was performed to assess prognostic significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Homer1 expression was high in 67.4% (58/86) of ICC samples, and there was significant difference between ICC and adjacent noncancerous tissues (p<0.001); high expression was associated with poor histologic differentiation (p=0.019), TNM stage (p=0.014), lymph node metastasis (p=0.040), and lymphatic invasion (p=0.025). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, a comparison of survival curves of low versus high expressors of Homer1 revealed a highly significant difference in OS (p=0.001) and DFS (p=0.006), indicating that high expression of Homer1 was linked with a worse prognosis. Multivariate analyses showed that Homer1 expression was an independent risk factor predicting overall survival[Hazard ratio(HR), 7.52; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.63- 21.47; p=0.002] and disease-free survival (HR, 11.56; 95%CI, 5.17-25.96; p<0.001) in ICC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Homer1 promotes lymphatic invasion and associates with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis of ICC. The current study shows that Homer1 may be an independent prognostic factor for ICC patients after curative resection, and it provides an important basis for screening/treating high-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine and Center for Gene Diagnosis, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China E-mail : jian_1999@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: San-Yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ming-Xia
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiao-Gai
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shu-Fang
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xing-Zhen
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jian-Cheng
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000473:pathology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D000072233:Homer Scaffolding Proteins; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; C000606614:HOMER1 protein, human; D000072233:Homer Scaffolding Proteins