Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of the LONP1 gene in hepatocellular carcinoma( HCC).Methods A total of 90 patients with pathologically confirmed HCC from January 2010 to September 2011 were enrolled,and the microarrays for their HCC tissue and adjacent tissue samples were provided by Shanghai Xinchao Biological Co.,Ltd. According to the level of positive expression of LONP1 in HCC tissue,the patients were divided into weak positive group with 33 patients,positive group with 24 patients,and strong positive group with 33 patients. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of LONP1 in HCC and adjacent tissue samples,and its association with the clinicopathological features of HCC was analyzed. The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used for survival analysis,and the Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to investigate risk factors. Results The positive expression rate of LONP1 protein in HCC tissue was significantly higher than that in the adjacent tissue( 100% vs 8. 9%,χ2= 152. 308,P < 0. 001). The expression of LONP1 protein was associated with presence or absence of tumor capsule,presence or absence of liver cirrhosis,clinical stage,and pathological grade( all P < 0. 05). There was a significant difference in median survival time between the weak positive group,the positive group,and the strong positive group( 40. 545 months vs 28. 545 months vs 19. 428 months,χ2= 32. 058,P < 0. 001). In HCC patients,median survival time was correlated with the expression of LONP1 protein,pathological grade,and clinical stage( all P < 0. 05). The multivariate Cox analysis showed that with the weak positive expression of LONP1 protein as a reference,positive expression of LONP1 protein( hazard ratio [HR]= 0. 109,95% confidence interval [CI]: 0. 034-0. 349,P < 0. 001) and strong positive expression of LONP1 protein( HR =0. 448,95% CI: 0. 219-0. 918,P = 0. 028) were independent influencing factors for the survival of HCC patients. Conclusion The expression level of LONP1 in HCC tissue is significantly higher than that in adjacent tissue,and the patients with high expression of LONP1 have a significantly shorter survival time than those with low expression.
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