Significance Of ?-catenin Expression In Discrimination Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Hepatocellular Dysplastic Nodules

Objectives: To investigate the expression of ?-catenin in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and hepatic dysplastic nodules(DN)and their potential application value in the differential diagnosis.Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine the expression of ?-catenin in two independent cohorts of HCC and non-malignant liver tissues to develop a diagnostic yield of ?-catenin for HCC detection.Receiver–operator curve(ROC)analysis was performed in the testing cohort to determine the cut-off scores for tumor positivity,and then validated in the validation cohort.Results: Over-expression of ?-catenin is significantly associated with the size and the differentiation of the HCC.Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of ?-catenin for HCC detection was 71.9%,90.3% in the testing cohort.And similar results were confirmed in the validation cohort.For the differential diagnosis of HCCs from DNs,the sensitivity and specificity were 64.3% and 89.5% for ?-catenin,67.9% and 89.5% for GS,71.4% and 94.7% for GPC3,and 96.4% and76.3% for the combination of the three markers.And the combination use of the three marker can improve the efficiency of detection of HCCs.Conclusion:1.Over-expression of ?-catenin is significantly associated with the development of HCC.2.For the differential diagnosis of HCCs from DNs,the sensitivity and specificity were 64.3% and 89.5% respectively for ?-catenin,suggesting that ?-catenin may serve as a potentail marker for HCC.3.?-catenin protein may serve as a useful diagnostic biomarker of HCCs,and the combine use of the three marker GS,?-catenin and GPC3 can improve the rate of detection of HCCs from DNs.