Expression of ASPH protein in retroperitoneal liposarcoma and its clinical significances

Objective To investigate the expression of Aspartate Beta-Hydroxylase (ASPH) in retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RL)and evaluate its clinical significances. Methods Relevant clinical data of 69 RL cases after surgical resection were collected. The expression of ASPH in tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The CTL epitopes of ASPH protein HLA-A2 were predicted by SYFPEITHI and NetMHCpan software. Results The overall positive rate of ASPH expression for the whole group was 81%, that for well-differentiated liposarcoma was 73%, dedifferentiated liposarcoma was 87%(P<0.05). ASPH expression was positively correlated with the postoperative recurrence free survival rate (P<0.05). Five HLA-A2 restricted CTL epitopes (9 peptides) were screened with the method of motif prediction. Conclusions ASPH expression is positively correlated with the degree of malignancy of RL, and the ASPH expression is an independent risk factor for postoperative recurrence free survival rate of RL. Moreover, ASPH was found to have 5 HLA-A2 restricted CTL epitopes, which are expected to be used for the immunotherapy of RL. Key words: Liposarcoma; Retroperitoneal tumors; Survival rate; Immunotherapy