title: [Clinicopathological significance of ezrin and SIX1 protein expression in alpha fetoprotein-negative hepatocellular carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinicopathological significance of ezrin and SIX1 overexpression in alpha fetoprotein (AFP)-negative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The EnVision immunohistochemical method was used to detect the protein expression of ezrin and SIX1 in the tumor tissues and corresponding adjacent normal liver tissues from 50 AFP-negative HCC patients. The correlations between the overexpression of ezrin and SIX1 and the prognosis of the patients with HCC were analyzed by Chi-square test and Spearman analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive rates of ezrin and SIX1 protein expression in AFP-negative HCC tissues were 68.0% (34/50) and 60.0% (30/50), respectively, and they were significantly higher than the expression rates [38.0% (19/50) and 26.0% (13/50)] in adjacent normal liver tissues. Chi-square test showed that the expression of both ezrin and SIX1 proteins were related to TNM stage and lymphovascular infiltration, and Spearman analysis revealed a positive correlation between ezrin and SIX1 expression in AFP-negative HCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both Ezrin and SIX1 proteins are highly expressed in AFP-negative HCC, and significantly related with the TNM stage and lymphovascular infiltration of patients with AFP-negative HCC. In addition, there is a positive correlation between ezrin and SIX1 expression in AFP-negative HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical College, Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, China.
authors.forename: Jienan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, China.
authors.forename: Xianchun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hospital Affiliated to Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, China.
authors.forename: Longzhe
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hospital Affiliated to Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, China.
authors.forename: Chunji
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical College, Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, China.
authors.forename: Xuelian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical College, Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, China. *Corresponding author, E-mail: zhlin720@ybu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhenhua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099149:Ezrin
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D000099149:Ezrin; C099236:SIX1 protein, human