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Updated: Jan 28, 2026
A "Patient-Like" Orthotopic Syngeneic Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis
Published on: October 24, 2015
Thrombospondin-4 expression as a prognostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma
Hongfen Wu1, Guangcong Zhang1, Zhi Li2
1Department of Gastroenterology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliated Haikou Hospital, Haikou 570028, China.
Background And Aims:
The extracellular calcium-binding protein family member thrombospondin-4 (THBS4) regulates cell migration, proliferation, attachment, adhesion, angiogenesis, neural development, tissue structure, organ development, pain signal transduction, and tumor growth. The aim of this study was to study THBS4 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and determine if it was a prognostic marker for this malignancy.
Methods:
We used immunohistochemistry and tissue microarrays to evaluate THBS4 expression in 84 HCC and matched para-cancerous tissues. Then, we assessed relationships between THBS4 expression and clinicopathological parameters.
Results:
THBS4 expression was higher in HCCs than in matched para-cancerous tissues (P < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between high THBS4 levels and preoperative serum alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.04). In HCC patients, high THBS4 expression was associated with shorter overall and disease-free survival compared with low THBS4 expression. Additionally, subgroup analysis showed that high THBS4 levels were only associated with poor overall survival for alpha-fetoprotein >40 ng/mL (P = 0.028) and cirrhosis (P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that high THBS4 expression was an independent prognostic factor for both overall and disease-free survival.
Conclusions:
Our data suggest that THBS4 may play a role in HCC development, and thus may be an independent prognostic marker and/or potential therapeutic target for HCC patients.
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