Association of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-2 expression with clinical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: To study the expression of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-2 (C-IAP2) mRNA and protein in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with the clinical outcomes.

Methods: Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the expression of C-IAP2 mRNA and protein in the tumor tissues and corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues from HCC patients.

Results: The expression of C-IAP2 mRNA in HCC tissues was 2.70 folds higher than that in the non-cancerous tissues (P<0.001). The expression rate of C-IAP2 protein in HCC tissues was 70.8%, significantly higher than that in the non-cancerous tissues (27.8%, P=0.001). The expression of C-IAP2 mRNA and protein was associated with the tumor emboli, lymph node metastasis, AFP level, histological differentiation, TNM stage, postoperative recurrence and metastasis (P<0.05), but not with the patients' gender, age, HbsAg positivity, number of tumors, cirrhosis or the presence of tumor encapsulation (P>0.05).

Conclusions: The expression of C-IAP2 in HCC is associated with tumor recurrence and metastasis, and can be a biological marker for prognostic evaluation of HCC.