The Role of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is crucial in cell growth, metabolism, and survival, and its dysregulation is closely associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. This retrospective study aimed to explore the expression of mTOR in HCC, its correlation with clinicopathological features, and prognostic significance. A total of 240 HCC patients who underwent surgical resection at our institution from 2017 - 2022 were included. mTOR expression in tumor and adjacent non - tumor tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. High mTOR expression in tumor tissues was significantly associated with larger tumor size (p = 0.005), higher histological grade (p = 0.012), microvascular invasion (p = 0.002), and elevated alpha - fetoprotein (AFP) levels (p = 0.008). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified high mTOR expression as an independent predictor of poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5 - 3.6, p < 0.001) and recurrence - free survival (HR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3 - 3.1, p = 0.003). These results highlight the critical role of mTOR in HCC development and its potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.