Role of Diagnostic and Prognostic Immunohistochemical Markers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Prognostic Immunohistochemical Markers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v6i3.2428Keywords:
Immunohistochemistry, Cancer, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, ClinicopathologyAbstract
As the primary cause of cancer-related death globally, Hepatocellular Carcinoma requires accurate diagnostic and prognostic markers. Immunohistochemical indicators have been identified as promising instruments to improve the precision of hepatocellular Carcinoma diagnosis and forecast patient outcomes. Objectives: To evaluate the relationships between clinicopathological characteristics associated with hepatocellular carcinoma, such as tumor grade, vascular invasion, and patient characteristics, and the expression of immunohistochemical markers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for six months from Feb 2024 to Jul 2024 in the Department of Pathology at a tertiary care hospital. There were 323 patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma diagnoses in all. Immunohistochemical was used to examine specimens of tissue for the markers Ki-67, CK19, Glypican-3, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), HepPar-1, and CD34. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, t-tests, and chi-square tests were used to evaluate correlation with clinicopathological characteristics and survival results. Results: High percentages of positive expression were seen for CD34 (88.2%), Glypican-3 (75.9%), and HepPar-1 (82.7%). There were noteworthy associations discovered between tumor size, vascular invasion, and serum AFP levels and IHC markers. Notably, HepPar-1 positive predicted a better prognosis (HR 0.72, p=0.032), but Glypican-3 (HR 1.58, p=0.001) and Ki-67 (HR 2.10, p=0.002) were linked to poor overall survival. Conclusions: It was concluded that the significant associations between specific immunohistochemical markers (e.g., HepPar-1, Glypican-3, and Ki-67) and clinicopathological characteristics, as well as their impact on prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma patients.
References
Konyn P, Ahmed A, Kim D. Current Epidemiology in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2021 Nov; 15(11): 1295-307. doi: 10.1080/17474124.2021.1991792. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17474124.2021.1991792
Chidambaranathan-Reghupaty S, Fisher PB, Sarkar D. Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): Epidemiology, Etiology and Molecular Classification. Advances in Cancer Research. 2021 Jan; 149: 1-61. doi: 10.1016/bs.acr.2020.10.001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2020.10.001
Llovet JM, Kelley RK, Villanueva A, Singal AG, Pikarsky E, Roayaie S et al. Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Nature Reviews Disease Primers. 2021 Jan; 7(1): 1-28. doi: 10.1038/s41572-020-00240-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-020-00240-3
Mak LY, Liu K, Chirapongsathorn S, Yew KC, Tamaki N, Rajaram RB et al. Liver Diseases and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Asia-Pacific Region: Burden, Trends, Challenges and Future Directions. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2024 Aug: 1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41575-024-00967-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-024-00967-4
Chakraborty E and Sarkar D. Emerging Therapies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Cancers. 2022 Jun; 14(11): 2798. doi: 10.3390/cancers14112798. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14112798
Brown ZJ, Tsilimigras DI, Ruff SM, Mohseni A, Kamel IR, Cloyd JM et al. Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Review. Journal of American and Medical Association Surgery. 2023 Apr; 158(4): 410-20. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2022.7989. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2022.7989
Younossi ZM and Henry L. Epidemiology of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Journal of Hepatology Reports. 2021 Aug; 3(4): 100305. doi: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2021.100305. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhepr.2021.100305
Doria C, Rogart JN, editors. Hepato-pancreato-biliary Malignancies: Diagnosis and Treatment in the 21st Century. 2022. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-41683-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41683-6
Sun L, Zhao H, Ding XY, Yang K, Wang GS, Chen JM et al. Clinicopathological Features of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Metabolic Risk Factors. Journal of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. 2023 Dec: 833-46. doi: 10.2147/JHC.S412129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/JHC.S412129
Xu ZJ, Xu T, Ye QX, Li YF, Yang TH, Zhang XM et al. Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Serum Golgi Protein 73 in Patients With Hepatitis B Virus‐Associated Acute‐on‐Chronic Liver Failure. Immunity, Inflammation and Disease. 2025 Feb; 13(2): e70120. doi: 10.1002/iid3.70120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/iid3.70120
Ren QS, Sun Q, Cheng SQ, Du LM, Guo PX. Hepatocellular carcinoma: An Analysis of the Expression Status of Stress Granules and Their Prognostic Value. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. 2024 Jun; 16(6): 2571. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i6.2571. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4251/wjgo.v16.i6.2571
Kmeid M, Park YN, Chung T, Lukose G, Sullivan L, Brar R et al. PSMA Immunohistochemistry in Hepatic Neoplasms: A Promising Diagnostic Marker with Potential Theranostic Applications. The American Journal of Surgical Pathology. 2022 Dec; 46(12): 1688-99. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0000000000001971. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/PAS.0000000000001971
Guo DZ, Zhang X, Zhang SQ, Zhang SY, Zhang XY, Yan JY, Dong SY, Zhu K, Yang XR, Fan J, Zhou J. Single-cell Tumor Heterogeneity Landscape of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Unraveling the Pro-Metastatic Subtype and Its Interaction Loop with Fibroblasts. Molecular Cancer. 2024 Aug; 23(1): 157. doi: 10.1186/s12943-024-02062-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-024-02062-3
Wang C, Shao X, Zhang X, Xie C, Yu J, Xu X et al. Diagnostic Value of Glypican-3, Arginase-1 and Hepatocyte Paraffin Antigen-1 in Differentiating Hepatocellular Carcinoma from Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma. Translational Cancer Research. 2020 Jan; 9(1): 128. doi: 10.21037/tcr.2019.11.20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21037/tcr.2019.11.20
Wang JY, Wang XK, Zhu GZ, Zhou X, Yao J, Ma XP, Wang B, Peng T. Distinct Diagnostic and Prognostic Values of Glypicans Gene Expression in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma. BioMed Central Cancer. 2021 Apr; 21(1): 462. doi: 10.1186/s12885-021-08104-z. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-021-08104-z
Chen JL, Wang L, Li R, Jiao YF, Yu WF. High Expression of Endothelial Progenitor Cell-Induced Angiogenic Markers Is Associated with Bile Acid Levels in HCC. Oncology Letters. 2020 Sep; 20(3): 2729-38. doi: 10.3892/ol.2020.11815. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.11815
Jeng KS, Sheen IS, Lin SS, Leu CM, Chang CF. The Role of Endoglin in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021 Mar; 22(6): 3208. doi: 10.3390/ijms22063208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22063208
Fang YS, Wu Q, Zhao HC, Zhou Y, Ye L, Liu SS et al. Do Combined Assays of Serum AFP, AFP-L3, DCP, GP73, and DKK-1 Efficiently Improve the Clinical Values of Biomarkers in Decision-Making for Hepatocellular Carcinoma? A Meta-Analysis. Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2021 Sep; 15(9): 1065-76. doi: 10.1080/17474124.2021.1900731. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17474124.2021.1900731
Ahn KS, O’Brien DR, Kim YH, Kim TS, Yamada H, Park JW et al. Associations of Serum Tumor Biomarkers with Integrated Genomic and Clinical Characteristics of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Liver Cancer. 2021 Nov; 10(6): 593-605. doi: 10.1159/000516957. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000516957
Chan YT, Zhang C, Wu J, Lu P, Xu L, Yuan H et al. Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Therapeutic Options in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Molecular Cancer. 2024 Sep; 23(1): 189. doi: 10.1186/s12943-024-02101-z. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-024-02101-z
Renne SL, Sarcognato S, Sacchi D, Guido M, Roncalli M, Terracciano L et al. Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Clinical and Pathological Overview. Pathologica. 2021 Jun; 113(3): 203. doi: 10.32074/1591-951X-295. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32074/1591-951X-295
Xu W, Huang B, Zhang R, Zhong X, Zhou W, Zhuang S et al. Diagnostic And Prognostic Ability of Contrast-Enhanced Unltrasound and Biomarkers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Subtypes. Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. 2024 Apr; 50(4): 617-26. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.01.007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.01.007
Ridder DA, Weinmann A, Schindeldecker M, Urbansky LL, Berndt K, Gerber TS et al. Comprehensive Clinicopathologic Study of Alpha Fetoprotein‐Expression in A Large Cohort of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma. International Journal of Cancer. 2022 Mar; 150(6): 1053-66. doi: 10.1002/ijc.33898. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33898
Moudi B, Mahmoudzadeh-Sagheb H, Heidari Z. Hepatocyte Paraffin 1 and Arginase-1 Are Effective Panel of Markers in HBV-Related HCC Diagnosis in Fine-Needle Aspiration Specimens. BioMed Central Research Notes. 2020 Dec; 13: 1-6. doi: 10.1186/s13104-020-05230-y. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-020-05230-y
Sun LY, Cen WJ, Zeng XX, Zhong YY, Deng L, Yang JJ et al. The Prognostic Value of Alpha-Fetoprotein Ratio in Patients With Resectable Alpha-Fetoprotein-Negative Hepatocellular Carcinoma. The American Surgeon™. 2024 Jun; 90(6): 1240-9. doi: 10.1177/00031348241227202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00031348241227202
Kanber Y, Pusztaszeri M, Auger M. Immunocytochemistry for Diagnostic Cytopathology—A Practical Guide. Cytopathology. 2021 Sep; 32(5): 562-87. doi: 10.1111/cyt.12993. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cyt.12993
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access journal and all the published articles / items are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For comments
