Expression of livin in hepatocellular carcinom and its significance

Objective To explore the expression of livin in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods With the method of immunohistochemical staining,specimens from 42 HCC patients and their corresponding para-carcinoma liver tissues and 12 normal liver controls were studied.The relationship between the livin expression and pathological features as well as microvessel density(MVD)was evaluated.Results The expression of 1ivin in the HCC tissues was much higher than that in the corresponding para-carcinoma liver tissues(X2=39.13,P＜0.05)and normal liver tissues(X2=17.89,P＜0.05).Over expression of livin in HCC was related to the invasion of tumor Edmondson grades (X2=4.690,P＜0.05)and tumor metastasis(X2=4.404,P＜0.05).MVD of HCC with positive expression of livin was much higher than that in HCC with negative expression of livin(P＜0.05).Conclusion The up-regulated expression of the livin protein gene in HCC suggests that livin participates in carcinogenesis.Livin may play a crucial role in the angiogenesis,invasion and metastasis of HCC. Key words: Carcinoma,hepatocellular; Livin;  Microvessel density;  Immunohistochemistry