The Expression And Significance Of SFRP4 And β-catenin In HBV-associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective:The study was designed to investigate the expression of secreted frizzled related protein-4(SFRP4)—antagonists of Wnt signaling athway andβ-catenin in HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma and its relationship with clinicopathological features of HBV-related HCC.Methods:Samples of tumor and adjacent non-tumor liver tissue were collected from 43 HBV-associated HCC patients.Immunohistochemistry(SP method)was used to detected the expression of SFRP4 andβ-catenin in43 HBV-related HCC tissues and the corresponding para-carcinoma tissues.Compare the expression differences and to analyze its relationship among this two factors and pathological features such as gender,age,AFP,glutamic-pyruvic transaminase,tumor size,the metastatic state of the lymph nodes,differentiation grade,pathological staging ect.Results:1.The abnormal expression rates ofβ-catenin protein in HBV-related HCC tissues and the corresponding para-carcinoma tissues were 81.4%(35/43)and 53.5%(23/43).The expression ofβ-catenin was significantly increased in HBV-related HCC tissues compared with cancer adjacent tissue(χ~2=7.63,P<0.01).The SFRP4 protein positive expression rate repectively was 27.9%(12/43)and 67.4%(29/43),the positive rate in HBV-associated HCC tissues was significantly Lower than in para-carcinoma tissue(χ~2=13.47,P<0.01).2.In HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma,the abnormal expression rate ofβ-catenin in middle-low differentiated group was96.2%(25/26)significantly higher than that in well-differentiated group58.8%(10/17)(χ~2=7.15,P<0.01);the positive expression rate of SFRP4 in middle-low differentiated group was 11.5%(3/26)significantly lower than that in well-differentiated group 52.9%(9/17)(χ~2=6.82,P<0.01).The abnormal expression rate ofβ-catenin in the tissue of the later stage group HCC(III/IV stage)was 93.1%(27/29),which was higher than that of the early stage group(I/II stage)57.1%(8/14)(χ~2=6.80,P<0.01);III-IV stage group of HCC SFRP4 protein positive rate was 13.8%(4/29)lower than that of I+II stage group 57.1%(8/14)(χ~2=5.86,P<0.05).Chi-squared analyses indicated thatβ-catenin and SFRP4 expression level had significant correlation with the degree of tumor cell differentiation and pathological stage(P<0.05),but were not associated with the age,gender,alpha fetoprotein,glutamic-pyruvic transaminase,tumor diameter,lymph node metastasis,portal vein tumor thrombus,HBeAg(+)and antiviral therapy(P>0.05).Conclusions:1.The expression ofβ-catenin in HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinomas tissues is higher than that of the para-carcinoma tissues,SFRP4 protein expression in HBV-related HCC was lower than adjacent mucosa,which suggest thatβ-catenin was over-expressed in HBV-related HCC and SFRP4 was low-expressed.2.The expression of SFRP4 andβ-catenin in HBV-associated liver cancer was correlated with differentiation grade and pathology stage,suggesting that SFRP4 andβ-catenin are involved in the occurrence,development and prognosis of HBV-related HCC.