Alpha-fetoprotein expression is a potential prognostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To characterize the alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） positive and negative hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） samples. METHODS： Thirty-seven paraffin-embedded human HCC samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the following antigens： AFP,β-catenin, p53, CD44, MSH-2, MLH-1, and HNF-4. The tumors were divided into two groups based on the AFP expression. The immunophenotypic data and important clinical parameters were studied between the two groups. RESULTS： Twenty-one of the thirty-seven examined HCCs were AFP positive. Seven with nudear p53 staining were AFP positive, while seven tumors with nuclear β-catenin staining were AFP negative. CD44 staining and high histological tumor grade were more frequent among the AFP-positive HCCs. The other immunophenotypical and dinical parameters did not show statistically significant difference in their distribution between the AFP positive and negative samples. CONCLUSION： AFP expression in HCC correlates with unfavorable prognostic factors, while nuclear β-catenin positivity is more common among the AFP-negative liver tumors. This observation supports the microarray data on in vivo human tumors.