Sperm protein 17, MAGE-C1 and NY-ESO-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma: expression frequency and their correlation with
Qiu-Yuan Xia1, Song Liu, Fang-Qiu Li
1Department of Pathology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
Unlabelled:
This study is dedicated to investigate the expression patterns of sperm protein 17 (Sp17), melanoma-specific antigen (MAGE)-C1 and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 (NY-ESO-1), to explore the correlation between these cancer-testis antigens and clinical parameters, and to evaluate their values in diagnosis and differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methods:
Immunohistochemical staining was performed in 45 paraffin-embedded hepatocellular carcinoma specimens. 45 normal peripheral hepatic tissues collected from adjacent non-cancerous areas were used as controls.
Results:
Positive results of immunohistostaining were obtained in 16 (35.6%), 7 (15.6%) and 36 (80.0%) samples using MAGE-C1, NY-ESO-1 and Sp17 antibodies, respectively. The immunoreactivity of Sp17 was also found in 7 (14.0%) control samples. A statistical correlation between the frequency of Sp17 expression and tumor differentiation grade in hepatocellular carcinoma was confirmed.
Conclusions:
Sp17 is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The frequency of Sp17 expression is closely related to the pathologic differentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma.
