Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Aug 16, 2021; 9(23): 6725-6733
Published online Aug 16, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i23.6725
Expression of caspase-3 and hypoxia inducible factor 1α in hepatocellular carcinoma complicated by hemorrhage and necrosis
Hui Liang, Jian-Guo Wu, Fei Wang, Bo-Xuan Chen, Shi-Tian Zou, Cong Wang, Shuai-Wu Luo
Hui Liang, Fei Wang, Bo-Xuan Chen, Shi-Tian Zou, Cong Wang, Shuai-Wu Luo, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
Jian-Guo Wu, Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
Author contributions: Liang H and Wu JG designed the study; Wang F drafted the work; Chen BX and Zou ST collected the data; Wang C analyzed and interpreted the data; Liang H and Luo SW wrote the article.
Supported by Research Project for Jiangxi Educational Department, No. 180086.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian-Guo Wu, PhD, Chief Doctor, Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Donghu District, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China. grantwu2021@163.com
Received: March 4, 2021
Peer-review started: March 4, 2021
First decision: April 4, 2021
Revised: April 8, 2021
Accepted: May 15, 2021
Article in press: May 15, 2021
Published online: August 16, 2021
Processing time: 154 Days and 4.3 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor that is occurring in the liver. Hypoxia inducible factor1α (HIF-1α) plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of tumors, which mainly promote the formation of intratumoral vessels, and plays a key role in the process of tumor metastasis and invasion. Some studies reported that caspase-3 is involved in the process of apoptosis of tumor cells and the apoptosis induced by various factors.

Research motivation

At present, in patients with HCC complicated by hemorrhage and necrosis, the HIF-1α and caspase-3 expression levels in relation to the characteristics of patients with HCC complicated by hemorrhage and necrosis and their prognosis have not been examined in China.

Research objectives

This study aimed to investigate the expression of caspase-3 and HIF-1α and their relationship with prognosis in patients with primary HCC complicated by the pathological changes of hemorrhage and necrosis.

Research methods

A total of 88 patients with HCC complicated by the pathological changes of hemorrhage and necrosis were selected. The expression of Caspase-3 and HIF-1α in HCC and paracancerous tissues from these patients was detected.

Research results

The positive expression rate of caspase-3 in HCC tissues was 27.27%, which was significantly lower than that in paracancerous tissues, while the positive expression rate of HIF-1α was 72.73%, which was significantly higher than that in paracancerous tissues. The expression of caspase-3 and HIF-1α in HCC tissues was negatively correlated. The median overall survival time of HCC patients was 18.90 mo.

Research conclusions

The expression of caspase-3 decreases and that of HIF-1α increases in the tissues of HCC complicated by the pathological changes of hemorrhage and necrosis, which is related to clinicopathological features and prognosis.

Research perspectives

This study may provide help for the further clinical biological behavior assessments so as to judge the prognosis.