BACKGROUND/AIMS: The development of human malignancies can be attributed to aberrant regulation of intracellular signal transduction pathways. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to explore the prognostic significance of FAK. METHODS: We investigated FAK mRNA expression in 60 HCC specimens using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, and the correlation between FAK expression and clinicopathologic parameters. FAK protein expression was examined using Western blot analysis and an immunohistochemical study. RESULTS: We found that FAK mRNA was overexpressed in HCCs compared with the corresponding non-cancerous liver tissues (P=0.0008). The FAK overexpression correlated significantly with tumor size (P=0.034) and serum AFP level (P=0.030). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that FAK mRNA expression was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free (risk ratio 3.83; P=0.024) and overall (risk ratio 7.14; P=0.015) survival. Besides, we confirmed immunohistochemically that the FAK protein was detectable in cancer cells despite non-expression in corresponding non-cancerous tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that FAK mRNA expression has prognostic significance for the survival of patients with HCC.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The development of humanmalignancies can be attributed to aberrant regulation of intracellular signal transduction pathways. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to explore the prognostic significance of FAK. METHODS: We investigated FAK mRNA expression in 60 HCC specimens using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, and the correlation between FAK expression and clinicopathologic parameters. FAK protein expression was examined using Western blot analysis and an immunohistochemical study. RESULTS: We found that FAK mRNA was overexpressed in HCCs compared with the corresponding non-cancerous liver tissues (P=0.0008). The FAK overexpression correlated significantly with tumor size (P=0.034) and serum AFP level (P=0.030). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that FAK mRNA expression was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free (risk ratio 3.83; P=0.024) and overall (risk ratio 7.14; P=0.015) survival. Besides, we confirmed immunohistochemically that the FAK protein was detectable in cancer cells despite non-expression in corresponding non-cancerous tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that FAK mRNA expression has prognostic significance for the survival of patients with HCC.
Authors: Jörg Schrader; Timothy T Gordon-Walker; Rebecca L Aucott; Mariëlle van Deemter; Alexander Quaas; Shaun Walsh; Daniel Benten; Stuart J Forbes; Rebecca G Wells; John P Iredale Journal: Hepatology Date: 2011-04 Impact factor: 17.425
Authors: Lauren A Gillory; Jerry E Stewart; Michael L Megison; Hugh C Nabers; Elizabeth Mroczek-Musulman; Elizabeth A Beierle Journal: Transl Oncol Date: 2013-04-01 Impact factor: 4.243
Authors: Constantinos T Giaginis; Stephanie Vgenopoulou; Gerasimos S Tsourouflis; Ekaterini N Politi; Gregorios P Kouraklis; Stamatios E Theocharis Journal: Pathol Oncol Res Date: 2008-11-06 Impact factor: 3.201
Authors: Na Shang; Maribel Arteaga; Ali Zaidi; Scott J Cotler; Peter Breslin; Xianzhong Ding; Paul Kuo; Michael Nishimura; Jiwang Zhang; Wei Qiu Journal: Gene Expr Date: 2016-05-02