Nanashima A, Nakayama T, Sumida Y, Abo T, Takeshita H, Shibata K, Hidaka S, Sawai T, Yasutake T, Nagayasu T. Relationship between microvessel count and post-hepatectomy survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(31): 4915-4922 [PMID: 18756600 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.14.4915]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Atsushi Nanashima, MD, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 8528501, Japan. a-nanasm@alpha.med.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Article-Type of This Article
Rapid Communication
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Atsushi Nanashima, Yorihisa Sumida, Takafumi Abo, Hiroaki Takeshita, Kenichirou Shibata, Shigekazu Hidaka, Terumitsu Sawai, Toru Yasutake, Takeshi Nagayasu, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 8528501, Japan
Toshiyuki Nakayama, Department of Molecular Pathology, Atomic Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
Author contributions: Nanashima A and Nakayama T contributed equally to this work; Nanashima A, Sumida Y, Abo T, Takeshita H, Hidaka S, Sawai T, Yasutake T, and Nagayasu T designed research; Nakayama T and Shibata K performed research; Abo T contributed analyzed data; And Nanashima A wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Atsushi Nanashima, MD, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 8528501, Japan. a-nanasm@alpha.med.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
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Received: January 31, 2008 Revised: August 1, 2008 Accepted: August 8, 2008 Published online: August 21, 2008
Abstract
AIM: To elucidate the relationship between the microvessel count (MVC) by CD34 analyzed by immunohistochemical method and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent hepatectomy based on our preliminary study.
METHODS: We examined relationships between MVC and clinicopathological factors in 128 HCC patients. The modified Japan Integrated Staging score (mJIS) was applied to examine subsets of HCC patients.
RESULTS: Median MVC was 178/mm2, which was used as a cut-off value. MVC was not significantly associated with any clinicopathologic factors or postoperative recurrent rate. Lower MVC was associated with poor disease-free and overall survivals by univariate analysis (P = 0.039 and P = 0.087, respectively) and lower MVC represented an independent poor prognostic factor in disease-free survival by Cox’s multivariate analysis (risk ratio, 1.64; P = 0.024), in addition to tumor size, vascular invasion, macroscopic finding and hepatic dysfunction. Significant differences in disease-free and overall survivals by MVC were observed in HCC patients with mJIS 2 (P = 0.046 and P = 0.0014, respectively), but not in those with other scores.
CONCLUSION: Tumor MVC appears to offer a useful prognostic marker of HCC patient survival, particularly in HCC patients with mJIS 2.
