Liver Cancer
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 14, 2005; 11(18): 2709-2713
Published online May 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i18.2709
Expression and clinical significance of TAp73α, p53, PCNA and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma
Hai-Xia Qin, Ke-Jun Nan, Guang Yang, Zhao Jing, Zhi-Ping Ruan, Chun-Li Li, Rui Xu, Hui Guo, Chen-Guang Sui, Yong-Chang Wei
Hai-Xia Qin, Department of Medical Oncology, Henan Oncology Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, Henan Province, China
Ke-Jun Nan, Zhao Jing, Zhi-Ping Ruan, Chun-Li Li, Rui Xu, Hui Guo, Chen-Guang Sui, Yong-Chang Wei, Department of Medical Oncology, First Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China
Guang Yang, Department of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Ke-Jun Nan, Department of Medical Oncology, First Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, 1 Jiankang Xilu, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China. qinhaixia100925@sina.com.cn
Telephone: +86-29-85324086 Fax: +86-29-85324086
Received: May 30, 2004
Revised: May 31, 2004
Accepted: June 17, 2004
Published online: May 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To study the prognostic role of TAp73α, p53, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and apoptosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgical tumor ablation.

METHODS: Forty-seven human resected HCC tissues and 42 adjacent non-cancerous tissues were studied with 10 normal liver tissues as control group. TAp73α, p53, and PCNA were detected with Elivision immunohistochemistry. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated d-UTP-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method was used to detect the apoptosis cells. All clinical and pathological materials were analyzed by SPSS10.0 statistical package.

RESULTS: TAp73α overexpressed in HCC tissues (36.2%) when compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (2.38%, P<0.005) and normal liver tissues (0, P<0.01). Mutant type p53 (mt-p53) overexpressed in HCC tissues (38.3%) when contracted with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (16.7%, P<0.05) and normal liver tissues (0, P<0.01). Proliferation index (PI) level in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (30.34%±4.46% vs 27.88%±5.89%, t, P = 0.028). Apoptosis index (AI) level in HCC tissues was higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (8.62%±2.28% vs 7.38%±2.61%, t, P = 0.019). Expression of TAp73α was associated with lymph node metastasis and mt-p53, with r = 0.407 and 0.265, respectively. Expression of mt-p53 was associated with Edmondson’s stage and AFP, with r = 0.295 and -0.357, respectively. In Kaplan-Meier univariant analysis, TAp73α, AFP, TNM stage, portal vein invasion, liver membrane invasion and HBsAg correlated with prognosis (log rank, P = 0.039, 0.012, 0.002, 0.000, 0.014, 0.007, respectively). Multivariant Cox regression analysis showed that TAp73α, AFP, TNM stage, portal vein invasion, liver membrane invasion and age were independent factors of prognosis.

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that TAp73α can be used as a prognostic indicator of patients with HCC undergoing surgical tumor ablation. AFP, TNM, portal vein invasion, liver membrane invasion and age also have a potency of predicting the prognosis of HCC.

Keywords: HCC, TAp73α, PCNA, Apoptosis, p53, Prognosis, TUNEL