Abstract
Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal cancer with increasing incidence, yet the molecular biomarkers that have strong prognostic impact and also hold great therapeutic promise remain elusive. Methods. Data mining approaches with a set of publicly accessible databases and immunohistochemistry were used to provide a novel insight into the expression pattern and prognostic significance of the esophageal cancer-related gene (ECRG) family members in HCC. Results. We found that elevated mRNA expression levels of ECRG factors were correlated with better overall survival, relapse-free survival and progression-free survival rates in patients with HCC. Subgroup analyses showed significant associations between ECRG expression and survival outcome in select HCC patients. In addition, immunohistochemical and multivariate analysis confirmed increased ECRG4 expression as an independent prognostic indicator for survival. Conclusion. Our data suggest that ECRG factors have significant impacts on the survival of HCC patients. The expression of ECRG factors may be involved in HCC progression and could serve as novel biomarkers for predicting more accurate prognosis.
Downregulation of esophageal cancer-related gene 4 promotes proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma