Loss of FBXW7 expression is associated with poor prognosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

FBXW7 acts as a tumor suppressor gene by targeting several oncogenic regulators of proliferation, growth and apoptosis for proteasomal degradation. However, the significance of this protein is not yet well understood in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC). In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between FBXW7 expression and clinicopathological variables in IHCC patients.

Thirty-one patients with IHCC who underwent hepatic resection were enrolled. FBXW7 expression in tumor tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry and patients were divided into two groups, the FBXW7 high expression group (n = 11) and the FBXW7 low expression group (n = 20). We then compared clinicopathological variables including prognosis between the high and low expression groups in tumor tissue.

FBXW7 expression was significantly correlated with staging (P = 0.006), and tended to correlate with lymph node metastasis. The FBXW7 low expression group had significantly poorer prognosis compared with the FBXW7 high expression group (P = 0.020); 3-year survival rates were 29.4% and 72.7%, respectively. Furthermore, the disease-free survival rate in the FBXW7 low expression group was significantly worse than in the FBXW7 high expression group (P = 0.022). On multivariate analysis, intrahepatic metastasis (P = 0.006) was a significant independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival, and FBXW7 low expression tended to be an independent prognostic factor for both overall (P = 0.067) and disease-free survival (P = 0.083).

Our results confirmed that low expression of FBXW7 in IHCC correlates with tumor progression and poor prognosis in IHCC.