Abstract
In this study, we explored the roles of Snail and NF-κB in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Samples of HCC tumor tissue were collected from 83 Chinese HCC patients. Snail and NF-κB expression was then examined based on immunohistochemical staining, and the relations between Snail and NF-κB expression and the clinical characteristics of the patients were assessed using Cox model analysis. Snail and NF-κB were both expressed in HCC tissue, and their levels were strongly correlated. In addition, levels of both Snail and NF-κB expression were negatively related to tumor differentiation, which was an independent factor predictive of survival in HCC patients. Snail and NF-κB may thus be useful markers of tumor differentiation and survival in HCC, and may also be useful for guiding treatment and exploring molecular mechanisms.
Highlights
Characterized by a high rate of recurrence and poor prognosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a severe health problem worldwide [1, 2]
We explored the roles of Snail and NF-κB in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
We examined the association between Snail and NF-κB expression and tumor differentiation, which was an independent factor predictive of survival in HCC patients
Summary
Characterized by a high rate of recurrence and poor prognosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a severe health problem worldwide [1, 2]. The zinc-finger transcriptional repressor Snail reportedly contributes to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC and plays a key role in tumorigenesis, differentiation, migration and invasiveness [4,5,6,7]. Snail reportedly downregulates E-cadherin and upregulates MMP-2 expression, thereby promoting invasiveness of human HCC [8]. We showed that Snail and p65 are overexpressed in HCC tissue [13]. Their predicted impact on the prognosis of Chinese HCC patients remains unclear. We examined the association between Snail and NF-κB expression and tumor differentiation, which was an independent factor predictive of survival in HCC patients
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