OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression and clinical significance of EphA7 protein in primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODSImmunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the expression of EphA7 protein in 40 cases of primary hepatocellular carcinoma, their corresponding adjacent liver tissues and 10 cases of normal liver tissues. The relations with its clinical pathological parameters were analyzed too.

RESULTSExpression of EphA7 protein was mainly located in the cytoplasm and the blood vessels of the septa, which was found in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, their corresponding adjacent liver tissues and normal liver tissues. Western blot analysis showed that the expression level of EphA7 protein in hepatocellular carcinoma (0.58 +/- 0.26) was greater than that in corresponding adjacent liver tissues (0.40 +/- 0.22, P < 0.05) and normal liver tissues (0.32 +/- 0.16, P < 0.05). But it had no significant difference between corresponding adjacent liver tissues and normal liver tissues (P > 0.05). EphA7 protein expression was correlated with histological differentiation, tumor thrombi in portal vein, lymph node metastasis and high AFP level (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSEphA7 protein expression is significantly correlated with the biological behavior of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. The high expression of EphA7 protein may play an important role in the malignancy transformation, invasion progression and metastasis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.