The diagnostic and prognostic value of UBE2T in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Hua Yu,Han Wang,Hui Dong,Rong Li,Chao Yang,Zhen-Ying Cao,Wei Dong,Guang-Zhi Jin,Wen-Ming Cong

doi:10.7717/peerj.8454

Abstract

BackgroundUbiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2T (UBE2T) is overexpressed in several types of malignancies. However, little is known about its diagnostic significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and other bile duct diseases or its prognostic value in ICC.MethodsThe expression levels of UBE2T in the intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD, N = 13), biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN; BilIN-1/2, N = 23; BilIN-3, N = 11), and ICC (N = 401) were examined by immunohistochemistry. The differential diagnostic and prognostic values were also assessed.ResultsThe number of UBE2T-positive cells was significantly higher in ICC tissues than in nonmalignant tissues, including the IHBD, BilIN-1/2, and BilIN-3 tissues. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that overexpression of UBE2T was correlated with a shorter time to recurrence (TTR) and overall survival (OS). The 5-year TTR rates in the high UBE2T and low UBE2T groups were 100% and 86.2%, respectively. The corresponding OS rates were 1.9% and 22.2%, respectively. High expression of UBE2T was an independent risk factor for both TTR (hazard ratio: 1.345; 95% confidence interval: 1.047,1.728) and OS (hazard ratio: 1.420; 95% confidence interval: 1.098,1.837).ConclusionsUBE2T can assist in differentiating benign bile duct diseases from ICC, and high expression of UBE2T suggests a poor prognosis for ICC.

Highlights

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most frequent liver malignancy and originates from intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells (Bridgewater et al, 2014)
To better characterize the effects of Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2T (UBE2T), we examined its expression in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), the intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD), and biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN)
For the 28 ICC patients with follow-up data, when the median UBE2T expression value was used as the cutoff point, the survival analysis showed no difference in overall survival (OS) (P = 0.3679, Fig. 1B)

Summary

Introduction

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most frequent liver malignancy and originates from intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells (Bridgewater et al, 2014). ICC accounts for approximately 10%–15% of primary liver cancers and is characterized by its poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of 25–35% after surgical resection (De Jong et al, 2011; Wang et al, 2013). The diagnostic and prognostic value of UBE2T in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Little is known about its diagnostic significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and other bile duct diseases or its prognostic value in ICC. The expression levels of UBE2T in the intrahepatic bile duct (IHBD, N = 13), biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN; BilIN-1/2, N = 23; BilIN-3, N = 11), and ICC (N = 401) were examined by immunohistochemistry. UBE2T can assist in differentiating benign bile duct diseases from ICC, and high expression of UBE2T suggests a poor prognosis for ICC

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Conclusion