Expression of XIAP in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Posttransplant Prognostic Value

Objective:To evaluate the expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and its prognostic value in HCC patients after liver transplantation. Methods:The expression of XIAP was studied by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarray consisting of 192 HCC tissues and corresponding non-tumor adjacent tissues. Meanwhile,the correlation between the expression of XIAP and other clinic-pathological features,and the prognostic value of XIAP in HCC patients undergoing liver transplantation were explored. Results:The expression of XIAP was significantly higher in tumor tissues (89.6%) than in the corresponding non-tumor adjacent tissues (45.8%,P=0.000). In survival analysis,HCC patients were stratified by XIAP expression-positive and XIAP-negative groups. The 3 year overall survival rate was lower (P=0.021) and recurrent rate was significantly higher (P=0.001) in XIAP-positive group than those in XIAP-negative group. Multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazards model showed that XIAP was an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients after liver transplantation. Conclusions:Anti-apoptosis factor XIAP is a high expression protein in HCC tissues. The expression of XIAP is an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients undergoing liver transplantation.