Expression of c-Met in hepatocellular carcinoma

Roh, Hye Rin; Lee, Hyuk Joon; Kim, Sang Beom; Kim, Seong Hoon; Suh, Kyung Suk; Lee, Kuhn Uk

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The c-met proto-oncogene encodes the tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a potent mitogen and motogen for epithelial cells. Because of its profound effects on cell growth and motility, HGF may be important in the development of cancer metastases in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined the expression of the c-met proto-oncogene product (c-Met) in the patients with HCCs to determine the relationship between the level of expression of c-Met and clinicopathological features, and patient outcome following hepatectomy.
METHODS
Fifty patients with surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma at Seoul National University Hospital from January 1997 to December 1998 were included in this study. Western blotting was used to examine the c-Met expression of tumor and surrounding tissues. The clinicopathologic features and treatment results of the patients were analyzed by medical records. Patients were divided into two groups, low c-met HCC and high c-met HCC.
RESULTS
c-Met was not overexpressed in HCC compared to surrounding tissue. The expression of c- Met in tumor tissue was correlated with well-differentiated HCCs, and adversely correlated with tumor necrosis by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). There was no correlation between c-Met expression and intrahepatic recurrence.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, these results indicate that c-Met expression in HCC is not correlated with intrahepatic recurrence, and tumor necrosis by TACE reduces c-Met expression in tumor tissue. More large-scaled study is needed for exact relation between c-Met expression and clinicopathologic features of HCCs.