Correlationship between Ki67, VEGF, and p53 and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence in Liver Transplant Patients

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who undergo orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) are at risk for posttransplant tumor recurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the expression of Ki67, VEGF, and p53 in HCC and clinicopathological characteristics of HCC patients, as well as their predictive value for HCC recurrence after OLT. METHODS: 60 patients who underwent OLT and were found to have HCC in the liver explant. The expression of Ki67, VEGF, and p53 in HCC was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Ki67 was associated with the tumor number and the grade of differentiation at baseline. VEGF was associated with the diameter and number of tumors, tumor differentiation, and lymph node metastasis. p53 was associated with the tumor diameter and tumor encapsulation. The expression of Ki67, VEGF, and p53 in HCC was correlated with the tumor recurrence after OLT, respectively. Among them, VEGF was an independent predictor for tumor recurrence after OLT. CONCLUSION: Ki67, VEGF, and p53 are associated with the recurrence of HCC after OLT. VEGF independently predicts the recurrence of HCC.