Reduced expression of olfactomedin 1 was associated with poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To investigate the expression level of olfactomedin 1 (OLFM1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with HCC. Methods The expression of OLFM1 protein in 71 cases of HCC and corresponding paracancerous liver tissues was detected by Western blotting. The relationship between the expression of OLFM1 and the clinicopathological factors, as well as prognosis after operation, in the patients with HCC was analyzed. Results The average expression level of OLFM1 protein was 0.42±0.33 in HCC tissues, and it was 1.11±0.53 in paracancerous liver tissues. The expression level of OLFM1 protein in HCC tissues was significantly lower than that in paracancerous liver tissues (P=0.001). The down-expression of OLFM1 in HCC was closely related to the malignant biological characteristics of multiple tumors, larger tumor diameter, absence of tumor capsule, vascular invasion and poor tumor differentiation. The difference was statistically significant (P=0.024, P=0.034, P=0.010, P=0.002, P=0.024, P=0.001). The recurrence-free survival and overall survival in the group of OLFM1 down-expression were significantly lower than those of OLFM1 up-expression (P=0.009, P=0.013). Conclusion The down-expression of OLFM1 is closely related to the high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis in HCC. The OLFM1 may play an important role in the development and metastasis of HCC. Key words: Olfactomedin 1; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Recurrence; Prognosis