Immunohistochemistry panel segregates molecular types of hepatocellular carcinoma in Brazilian autopsy cases

Table 4 Overall expression and cut-off points for immunohistochemical markers in non-neoplastic liver, primary hepatocellular carcinoma and metastases n (%)

IHC marker	Cut-off	Non-neoplastic	Primary HCC	Metastases	P value
		26 cases	75 cases	17 cases
EGFR overexpression	≥ 200/3001	17 (65)	29 (39)	6 (38)2	0.054
Ki67	≥ 0.1%	2 (8)a	45 (63)4	13 (76)	< 0.001a
K19	> 1%	0 (0)a	12 (16)3	5 (29)	0.011a
Vimentin	> 0/300	0 (0)	4 (6)3	3 (18)	0.064
Caspase 3 loss	≤ 10/300	2 (8)a	26 (36)3	7 (41)	0.009a
Cyclin D1	> 0.1%	4 (15)	16 (23)5	9 (53)a	0.018a
mTOR expression	≥ 100/3001	8 (31)	14 (21)5	5 (31)2	0.533
MET expression	≥ 100/3001	10 (38)	12 (17)4	5 (29)	0.068
ERK1 overexpression	≥ 200/3001	0 (0)a	10 (14)4	5 (33)3	0.006a
ERK2 overexpression	≥ 200/3001	0 (0)a	10 (14)4	4 (24)	0.029a
p53	≥ 10%	2 (8)a	28 (42)5	8 (50)2	0.002a
Beta-catenin, membrane	≥ 100/3001	10 (38)	42 (61)5	11 (65)	0.113
Beta-catenin, nucleus	2 or 3+	0 (0)	9 (9)5	3 (18)	0.070

¹Score value;

²One case lost during technical processing (n-1);

³Two cases lost during technical processing (n-2);

⁴Three cases lost during technical processing (n-3);

⁵Four or more cases lost during technical processing.

^aP < 0.05 (outliers in pairwise test). EGFR: Epidermal growth factor receptor; ERK: Extracellular signaling-related kinase; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; IHC: Immunohistochemistry; MET: MET Receptor tyrosine kinase; mTOR: Mechanistic target of rapamycin.