RESUMO
Objective: To investigate the expressions of tumor stem cell markers EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule) and CD133 proteins in human primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and to explore their relationships with clinicopathological features and the prognosis. Methods: The expressions of EpCAM and CD133 in liver cancer tissues from 70 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma were detected by immunohistochemistry. The survival analysis was performed, and the correlations of EpCAM and CD133 with the clinicopathological features and the prognosis were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software package 17.0. Results: The positive rates of CD133 and EpCAM proteins were both significantly higher in liver cancer tissues than those in paracancerous tissues (P < 0.01). Aberrant expression of CD133 was observed in the paracancerous tissues. The positive expression of CD133 was positively correlated with vascular invasion in liver cancer tissues (P < 0.05). The expression level of EpCAM in poorly differentiated liver cancer with vascular invasion in patients with preoperative AFP level over 400 ng/mL was significantly higher (P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between EpCAM expression and CD133 expression (P < 0.01). The survival of patients with strongly positive expression of CD133 (or EpCAM) was inferior to that of patients with moderately-weakly positive expression of CD133 (or EpCAM). In the subgroup of preoperative AFP level over 400 ng/mL, the survival of patients with moderately-strongly positive expression of EpCAM was inferior to that of patients with weakly positive expression of EpCAM. The factors of the number of tumors, preoperative AFP level, tumor capsule and CD133 expression were independent predictors of prognosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion: CD133 and EpCAM may be associated with the progression of primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and their high expression may indicate poor prognosis, thus it is suggested EpCAM (+) AFP (+) primary hepatocellular carcinoma subtype has features of high-grade malignancy. Copyright © 2012 by TUMOR.