Elevated expression of Cripto-1 correlates with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Cripto-1 is implicated in tumorigenesis across various carcinomas.
• Its role and prognostic significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression of Cripto-1 and its correlation with MMP-9 in HCC.
• To evaluate the clinicopathological and prognostic value of Cripto-1 in HCC patients.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry was used to assess Cripto-1 and MMP-9 expression in 205 HCC specimens.
• Statistical analyses were performed to examine correlations and prognostic significance.

Main Results:

• Cripto-1 overexpression correlated with larger tumor size, advanced TNM and BCLC stages, and increased tumor recurrence.
• Cripto-1 was an independent predictor of overall survival (OS) and time to recurrence (TTR).
• Cripto-1 expression showed a positive correlation with MMP-9 and predicted both early and late recurrence.

Conclusions:

• Cripto-1 overexpression contributes to HCC aggressiveness and predicts a poor prognosis.
• Combined Cripto-1 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) expression may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for HCC survival.