Sperm protein 17, MAGE-C1 and NY-ESO-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma: expression frequency and their correlation with clinical parameters

Abstract

This study is dedicated to investigate the expression patterns of sperm protein 17 (Sp17), melanoma-specific antigen (MAGE)-C1 and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 (NY-ESO-1), to explore the correlation between these cancer-testis antigens and clinical parameters, and to evaluate their values in diagnosis and differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was performed in 45 paraffin-embedded hepatocellular carcinoma specimens. 45 normal peripheral hepatic tissues collected from adjacent non-cancerous areas were used as controls.

Results: Positive results of immunohistostaining were obtained in 16 (35.6%), 7 (15.6%) and 36 (80.0%) samples using MAGE-C1, NY-ESO-1 and Sp17 antibodies, respectively. The immunoreactivity of Sp17 was also found in 7 (14.0%) control samples. A statistical correlation between the frequency of Sp17 expression and tumor differentiation grade in hepatocellular carcinoma was confirmed.

Conclusions: Sp17 is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The frequency of Sp17 expression is closely related to the pathologic differentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Keywords: MAGE-C1; NY-ESO-1; Sp17; cancer-testis antigens; hepatocellular carcinoma.

Figure 1

A: Immunohistochemical distribution of our Sp17 antibody in normal testis from a patient with prostatic cancer and in hepatocellular cancer. Sp17 is predominantly expressed in spermatozoa. Hepatocellular cancer tissue display cytoplasmic staining for Sp17(B), MAGE-C1 (C), and NY-ESO-1 (D). original magnification ×100 (B, C), ×200 (A, D).