Ezrin expression in the primary hepatocellular carcinoma patients and associated with clinical, pathological characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess Ezrin expression in the primary hepatic carcinoma patients and associated with clinical, pathological characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) with completed clinical data were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The Ezrin expression in PHC and normal control liver tissue was tested by immunohistochemical assay. The Ezrin expression and relationship with clinical characteristics were evaluated.

RESULTS: The Ezrin positive rate were 66.7% and 15.7% with expression score of 3.21 ± 1.46 and 0.60 ± 1.10, respectively, in the cancer tissue and control tissue with statistical difference (P < 0.05). The Ezrin expression was associated with the metastasis status of the patients (P < 0.05) but not associated with the age (P > 0.05), gender (P > 0.05), differentiation (P > 0.05), and tumor diameter (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Ezrin protein is highly expressed in human PHC tissue which can be used for the prediction of metastasis disease.