A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)10 is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and is associated with tumour progression.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)10 has been implicated in the progression of various solid tumours. Little is known, however, about its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protein and transcript level expression of ADAM10 in HCC patients. METHODS: Samples of HCC and adjacent noncancerous liver tissue were taken during liver resection surgery. Immunostaining was used to measure ADAM10 protein expression levels and quantitative reverse- transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to measure ADAM10 mRNA expression levels. Levels of ADAM10 were compared, and a survival analysis undertaken. RESULTS: In total, 98 HCC patient samples were studied. There were significant associations between protein levels of ADAM10 and tumour grade, amount of tumour differentiation, tumour size and the presence of metastasis. Furthermore, ADAM10 protein expression was significantly associated with shortened patient survival. CONCLUSIONS: ADAM10 is strongly expressed in a large proportion of HCC cases, which is in agreement with findings in other tumour entities. Expression of ADAM10 may serve as a useful molecular marker for HCC.