Expression of TFIIB-related factor 2 protein in human hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical significance

Abstract

Objective To study the expression of TFIIB-related factor 2 (BRF2) in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and to determine its clinical significance.Methods 80 HCC patients who received ‘curative' hepatectomy at the Qilu Hospital were studied.Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed to examine the expression of BRF2 and CD34 (microvessel density) in tumor tissues,matched paraneoplastic tissues,and normal liver tissues.Statistical methods were performed to analyse the relationships of expressions of BRF2 and CD34 with clinicopathologic factors.Results BRF2 protein was expressed at a high rate of 61.3％ in HCC tumor,which was significantly higher than that in normal liver tissues and matched paraneoplastic tissues (31.6％,28.8 ％,respectively,P ＜ 0.05).BRF2 was significantly associated with tumor differentiation,number of nodules,tumor encapsulation,TNM stage,and microvessel density.Prognosis of the high expression BRF2 group was poor.The recurrence and metastasis rates in the high expression group were significantly higher than the low expression group (P ＜ 0.05).The survival rate in the high expression group was significantly lower than the low expression group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The expression of BRF2 increased in HCC tissues,and its expression was closely associated with pathological features and prognosis of patients,indicating that it can be used as a predictor in assessing prognosis of patients with HCC. Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma; TFIIB-related factor 2 ; Microvessel density; Recurrence; Prognosis