Laminin may be a predictor of recurrence after liver transplantation for HBV -related hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Objective To explore the prognostic role of laminin (LN) as a tumor biological marker in predicting the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) related with HBV infection after liver transplantation (LT). Methods Tissue samples from 251 HBV-related HCC patients undergoing LT were immunohistochemically stained with anti-LN antibody. The relevant prognostic factors were analyzed using Spearman's rank test, Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and multivariate step-wise Cox regression analysis. Results The expressions of LN in tumor tissues were significantly positively correlated with tumor number (P=0.00), microsatellite (P=0.02), venous invasion (P=0.048), pTNM tumor stage (P=0.00), pre-LT serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level (P=0.00), HBV DNA level (P=0.02), HBeAg level (P=0.02) and tumor recurrence (P=0.00) respectively. Significant differences existed in 1/3/5-year overall survival or tumor recurrence-free survival rate post-LT among LN different expression (-, + , ≥+ + ) in HBV-related HCC patients (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that LN was a significantly independent predictor in predicting poor tumor recurrence-free survival post-LT (P=0.01). Conclusions LN may be a feasible marker in predicting HCC recurrence post-LT for HBV-related HCC patients. Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatitis B virus; Liver transplantation; Laminin