Key result
Epithelial periostin expression was detected in 20.9% of hepatocellular carcinomas and 33.6% of bile duct carcinomas, and was associated with higher tumor grade and reduced overall survival.
Why the study?
Does periostin expression correlate with malignant transformation and prognosis in hepatocellular and bile duct cancers?
Observational (n=249)
Does periostin expression correlate with malignant transformation and prognosis in hepatocellular and bile duct cancers?
Epithelial periostin expression serves as a marker for malignant transformation of hepatocytes and a novel prognostic marker in bile duct carcinomas.
May identify higher-risk hepatocellular and bile duct carcinomas; leaves open prospective validation before clinical adoption.
AIMS: To study the relevance of periostin, known to be involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), in hepatocellular and bile duct cancer. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemical periostin expression was semiquantitatively analysed in normal liver tissue (n = 20), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; n = 91), liver-cell adenoma (n = 9), focal nodular hyperplasia (n = 13) and bile duct carcinomas (BDC; n = 116) using tissue microarrays. Normal bile ducts, gallbladder epithelium and hepatocytes showed weak cytoplasmic periostin expression. In HCC, there was strong epithelial periostin expression in 19/91 (20.9%) and strong stromal periostin expression in 10/91 cases (11%). Epithelial expression in tumour cells was significantly associated with a higher tumour grade (P < 0.05) and hepatitis B virus infection (P = 0.007). Importantly, there was no strong periostin expression in benign liver tumours. Strong stromal periostin expression was detected in 78/116 (67.2%) BDC and strong epithelial expression in 39/116 (33.6%) BDC. pT stage, differentiation grade and proliferation rate in primary BDC were independent of periostin expression. Epithelial periostin expression was associated with reduced overall survival on univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The EMT protein periostin is expressed in the stroma and epithelium of a subset of BDC and HCC. Epithelial periostin expression is a marker for malignant transformation of hepatocytes and a novel prognostic marker in BDC.
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Riener et al. (2010) conducted an observational in Hepatocellular and bile duct cancer (n=249). Periostin expression vs. Normal tissue or benign liver tumors was evaluated on Association of periostin expression with tumor grade, viral infection, and overall survival. Epithelial periostin expression was detected in 20.9% of hepatocellular carcinomas and 33.6% of bile duct carcinomas, and was associated with higher tumor grade and reduced overall survival.
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