• Minhua Rong, Rongquan He, Yiwu Dang, and Gang Chen.
• Research Department, Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Guangxi Medical University , 71 Hedi Road, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 530021 , P. R. China.
• Ups. J. Med. Sci. 2014 Mar 1; 119 (1): 19-24.

BackgroundAberrant expression of microRNA-146a (miR-146a) has been found in several classes of cancers. However, its expression and clinicopathological contribution in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been fully elucidated.ObjectiveTo explore the clinicopathological significance of the miR-146a level in HCC formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue.MethodsEighty-five HCC samples and their para-cancerous normal liver tissues were collected. Total mRNA including miRNA was extracted, and miR-146a expression was determined using real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, the correlation between the miR-146a expression and clinicopathological parameters was investigated.ResultsMicroRNA-146a expression in HCC tissues was lower compared with that in adjacent non-cancerous hepatic tissues. MicroRNA-146a expression was also related to clinical TNM stage, metastasis, portal vein tumor embolus, and number of tumor nodes.ConclusionsDown-regulation of miR-146a is related to HCC carcinogenesis and deterioration of HCC. MicroRNA-146a may act as a suppressor miRNA of HCC, and it is therefore a potential prognostic biomarker for HCC patients.

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