Expression and prognostic role of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (cdc2) in hepatocellular carcinoma

The expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (cdc2), cyclin A and cyclin B1 was immunohistochemically studied in 101 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). cdc2 overexpression was directly related to advanced stage, portal invasion, intrahepatic metastasis, poor differentiation, high alpha-fetoprotein level, large size, high Ki-67 labeling index and poor prognosis. Cyclin A and B1 overexpression showed similar tendency to that of cdc2, but they were not recognized as independent prognostic factors by multivariate analysis. These findings suggest that cdc2 plays the most crucial role of the G2/M modulators in cell cycle progression and cell proliferation of HCC and significantly predicts the recurrence of this carcinoma.