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[Expression and prognostic value of galectin-9 in hepatocellular carcinoma patients]
Chang-jiang Gu1, Han Wu, Chen-yi Sheng
1Affiliated Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.
Objective:
To explore the prognostic value of galectin-9 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods:
Galectin-9 was validated by immunohistochemisty in tissue microarrays from HCC patients (n = 147) and statistically assessed for the prognosis. The serum levels of galectin-9 from another independent cohort including HCC patients (n = 31) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results:
Patients with a lower expression of galectin-9 had significantly worse prognosis than those with a higher expression. The serum level of galectin-9 of HCC patients (8.36 ± 2.12) µg/L was significantly lower than that in healthy (4.62 ± 1.59 )µg/L and liver cirrhosis controls (5.11 ± 1.92 )µg/L (P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that galectin-9 was an independent marker for predicting a poor prognosis of HCC patients.
Conclusion:
Involved in the poor prognosis of HCC patients, galectin-9 may be a new predictor of recurrence for HCC patients and serve as a high-priority therapeutic target.
