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© 2016 Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background

Axl is a receptor tyrosine kinase which plays an important role in multiple human malignancies.

Design

The Axl expression was examined in several hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) cell lines, paired tumor and nontumorous samples. Then, we examined cell growth curve, cell apoptosis and cell migration in SMMC-7721 cells over-expressed with Axl or siRNA against Axl, respectively. Finally, the prognostic value of Axl was investigated in a prospective cohort of 246 consecutive HCC patients undergoing curative hepatoectomy.

Results

We found Axl was positive in 22% of examined tumor tissues and all four cell lines. Over-expressing Axl in SMMC-7721 cells accelerated cell growth, cell migration and inhibited cell apoptosis, while knock-down of Axl exerted opposite effect. Axl expression was closely associated with serum AFP, multiple tumors, absence of encapsulation, microvascular invasion, and advanced BCLC or TNM stage. Patients with positive Axl staining had a higher 5-year recurrence rate (92% vs. 71%, P<0.001) and a lower 5-year survival rate (9% vs. 48%, P<0.001) than those with negative staining. The multivariate analyses showed that Axl expression was an independent factor for both tumor recurrence (HR: 1.725; 95% CI: 1.219–2.441) and survival (1.847; 1.291–2.642).

Conclusion

Axl expression suggests more aggressive tumor invasiveness and predicts worse prognosis for HCC patients undergoing resection.

Details

Title
Axl Expression Stratifies Patients with Poor Prognosis after Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Author
Liu, Jian; Wang, Kui; Yan, Zhenlin; Xia, Yong; Li, Jun; Shi, Lehua; Zou, Qifei; Wan, Xuying; Jiao, Binghua; Wang, Hongyang; Wu, Mengchao; Zhang, Yongjie; Shen, Feng
First page
e0154767
Section
Research Article
Publication year
2016
Publication date
May 2016
Publisher
Public Library of Science
e-ISSN
19326203
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1789207458
Copyright
© 2016 Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.