Combination of Osteopontin with Peritumoral Infiltrating Macrophages is Associated with Poor Prognosis of Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Curative Resection

Background Crosstalk between a tumor and the microenvironment plays a key role in tumor progression and metastasis. This study was performed to elucidate the prognostic significance of combining tumor-secreted osteopontin (OPN) with microenvironment-associated peritumoral macrophages (PTMs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially for those with early-stage disease. Methods Tissue microarray-based immunohistochemistry was used to investigate OPN and PTMs expression in two independent cohorts consisting of 374 patients with HCC who underwent radical resection. The prognostic value for the two factors alone or in combination was investigated in these patients. Results OPN combined with PTMs was an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival (OS; p