Expression of DBC1 is associated with poor prognosis in hepatitis virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1) is a nuclear protein that was named by its deletion at a region 8p21 in some breast cancers and has been suggested as a poor prognostic indicator of various human cancers. However, the expression level of DBC1 protein and the prognostic role of DBC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been reported.

We investigated the effect of DBC1 protein expression in 199 hepatitis virus-related HCC patients. Immunohistochemical expression of DBC1 were evaluated by tissue microarray.

High DBC1 immunoreactivity was observed in 177 (88.9%) of the 199HCC cases and was significantly associated with younger age (P=0.001), higher α-fetoprotein level (P=0.008), hepatitis B virus infection (P=0.001), and liver cirrhosis (P=0.003). High DBC1 expression showed an unfavorable effect on recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P=0.036) and tended to be an independent predictor of shorter RFS (P=0.064). High DBC1 expression did not show an unfavorable effect on overall survival (P=0.575). Five (45.5%) of 11 low grade dysplastic nodules (LGDNs), 8 (80%) of 10 high grade dysplastic nodules (HGDNs), and 10 (83.3%) of 12 early HCCs showed high DBC1 expression. The proportion of high DBC1 expression in LGDN, HGDN, early HCC, and HCC was significantly different, with a stepwise increase (P=0.0002).

DBC1 protein could be a prognostic marker of shorter RFS in HCC patients after hepatectomy and human hepatocarcinogenesis was a multistep process accompanied by a stepwise increase in high DBC1 expression from LGDN, through HGDN, to HCC. Patients with high DBC1 expression can be considered candidates for adjuvant treatment after hepatectomy.