Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. Effective biomarkers are necessary to predict the clinical course and outcome of patients with HCC. Wntless (Wls) is a key modulator of Wnt protein secretion and is overexpressed in various human cancers. However, the mechanism and alteration of Wls expression in HCC have not been clarified.
Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate expression level of Wls in HCC and its clinical significance.
Methods: The levels of Wls expression were investigated in 84 HCC tissues using immunohistochemistry.
Results: Wls was negatively expressed in normal liver tissue and was negatively or weakly (score 0) expressed in liver cirrhosis. Twenty-eight out of 84 samples (33.3%) were negative or weakly (score 0) expressed Wls, 38 out of 84 (45.2%) moderately (1+) expressed Wls, and 18 out of 84 (21.4%) strongly (2+) expressed Wls. Wls expression was positively associated with tumor size (P = 0.005, r = 0.302), tumor TNM stage (P = 0.017, r = 0.261), AFP (P = 0.051), and HBV infection (P = 0.009, r = 0.283), and was negatively associated with differentiation (P < 0.001, r = - 0.552). No significant relationship between Wls expression and liver cirrhosis, ALT, GGT, age, sex, or tumor focality was found.
Conclusions: Our data showed that Wls was differentially expressed in HCC. Statistical analysis results suggest that Wls expression might increase as HCC progresses.
Keywords: HCC; Immunohistochemistry; Tumor stage; Wls.