Open Access

Low expression levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 are correlated with poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

  • Authors:
    • Jinjin Yan
    • Xinzheng Yang
    • Lin Li
    • Pengtao Liu
    • Honghui Wu
    • Zhanao Liu
    • Qingyi Li
    • Guozhen Liao
    • Xinlong Wang
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: March 28, 2017     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2017.5934
  • Pages: 3395-3402
  • Copyright: © Yan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) has previously been identified as a putative tumor suppressor gene. The present study investigated the clinical and prognostic significance of IGFBP‑3 expression levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) probing for IGFBP‑3 was performed on paraffin‑embedded tissue samples obtained from 120 patients with HCC, including tissue samples from 120 primary cancer sites and 50 matched adjacent non‑malignant sites. Receiver-operator curve (ROC) analysis was used to determine the cut‑off scores for the presence of IGFBP‑3‑positive tumor cells and to estimate the survival time of the patients. The threshold for marking the positive expression of IGFBP‑3 was 65%, based on the area under the ROC. Positive expression of IGFBP‑3 was observed in 65/120 (54.2%) of the HCC tissues, and in 36/50 (72%) of the adjacent non‑malignant liver tissues. Low levels of IGFBP‑3 expression were correlated with tumor size (P=0.003), tumor multiplicity (P=0.044), node (P=0.008), metastasis (P=0.001) and clinical stage (P=0.001), as well as reduced survival time (P=0.015). Using univariate survival analysis, a significant direct correlation between high and low IGFBP‑3 expression levels, and patient survival time (mean survival time high IGFBP‑3, 39.4 vs. low IGFBP‑3, 18.7 months) was identified. Kaplan‑Meier analysis demonstrated that IGFBP‑3 expression levels and patients survival time were significantly correlated (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed IGFBP‑3 expression to be an independent parameter (P=0.003). Therefore, low levels of IGFBP-3 expression are associated with advance clinicopathological classification and may be a predictor of poor survival in patients with HCC. Furthermore, these findings suggest that IGFBP‑3 may serve as an independent molecular marker for the evaluation of prognosis in patients with HCC.
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May-2017
Volume 13 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Spandidos Publications style
Yan J, Yang X, Li L, Liu P, Wu H, Liu Z, Li Q, Liao G and Wang X: Low expression levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 are correlated with poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncol Lett 13: 3395-3402, 2017
APA
Yan, J., Yang, X., Li, L., Liu, P., Wu, H., Liu, Z. ... Wang, X. (2017). Low expression levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 are correlated with poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncology Letters, 13, 3395-3402. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2017.5934
MLA
Yan, J., Yang, X., Li, L., Liu, P., Wu, H., Liu, Z., Li, Q., Liao, G., Wang, X."Low expression levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 are correlated with poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma". Oncology Letters 13.5 (2017): 3395-3402.
Chicago
Yan, J., Yang, X., Li, L., Liu, P., Wu, H., Liu, Z., Li, Q., Liao, G., Wang, X."Low expression levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 are correlated with poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma". Oncology Letters 13, no. 5 (2017): 3395-3402. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2017.5934