Brief Article
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2014; 20(8): 2098-2106
Published online Feb 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i8.2098
Cancer stem cell markers correlate with early recurrence and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma
Zhe Guo, Le-Qun Li, Jing-Hang Jiang, Chao Ou, Li-Xia Zeng, Bang-De Xiang
Zhe Guo, Le-Qun Li, Jing-Hang Jiang, Bang-De Xiang, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Chao Ou, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Li-Xia Zeng, Department of Pathology, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Author contributions: Xiang BD designed the research; Guo Z and Li LQ performed the research; Jiang JH and Guo Z evaluated the clinic records and performed the statistical analysis; Ou C and Zeng LX performed the immunohistochemistry experiment; Guo Z wrote the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81260331; the National Science and Technology Major Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, No. 2012ZX10002010001009; and the Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education, No. 2011105981002M232
Correspondence to: Bang-De Xiang, PhD, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, He Di Rd. 71, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. xiaopushu-213@163.com
Telephone: +86-771-5330968 Fax: +86-771-5312000
Received: September 24, 2013
Revised: November 6, 2013
Accepted: December 12, 2013
Published online: February 28, 2014
Processing time: 154 Days and 12.2 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Cancer stem cells have been proposed as the cells responsible for initiating tumor formation, recurrence and metastasis, and liver cancer stem cells have been found to carry the surface markers CD133, CD90, and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). This paper addresses the clinical impact of CD133, CD90, and EpCAM in propensity score-matched patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Our findings revealed that expression of CD133, CD90, and EpCAM may be linked to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor onset and/or progression. In addition, EpCAM expression is associated with shorter survival time, while CD90 expression is associated with early HCC recurrence.