Effects of arsenic trioxide on the expression of ezrin in hepatocellular carcinoma

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) treatment on the expression of ezrin and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 24 patients (20 males and 4 females) with resectable HCC were treated with venous injection of As(2)O(3) for 14 days (10 mg/d) before surgery. The ezrin expression and serum AFP levels were assessed before and after treatment, respectively. The serum AFP levels were 325.5 ng/L before treatment and 278.6 ng/L after treatment, with statistical significant difference (Z = −2.360, P < .05). The expression of ezrin was negative, weak positive, and strong positive in 11, 7, and 6 cases, respectively, before As(2)O(3) treatment, and 17, 5, 2 cases respectively after the treatment. The difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (χ(2) = 5.619, P < .05). Also, the results showed that there was a significant correlation between the high serum AFP level (AFP ≥ 500 ng/L) and high expression of ezrin (χ(2) = 8.080, P < .05). As(2)O(3) treatment can significantly downregulate the expression of ezrin in HCC.