PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - KWAN-YUNG AU
AU  - KRISTY KWAN-SHUEN CHAN
AU  - REGINA CHEUK-LAM LO
TI  - A Clinicopathological Study of Young-onset Hepatocellular Carcinoma
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.15075
DP  - 2021 Jun 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 2933--2944
VI  - 41
IP  - 6
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/6/2933.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/6/2933.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2021 Jun 01; 41
AB  - Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed at 40 years of age or below. Materials and Methods: Expression of CK19, Glypican-3 and β-catenin was assessed in clinical samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC expression was correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Hotspot mutations in TP53 gene were analyzed by sequencing. Results: Thirty-six cases were included with a male to female ratio of 3:1. Eighty percent of cases were associated with chronic hepatitis B infection. CK19 and GPC3 were expressed in 61% and 56% of cases, respectively. Only one case demonstrated β-catenin over-expression. TP53 hotspot mutation was identified in 4 cases. Number of tumor nodules, vascular invasion, and preoperative serum AFP level were associated with prognosis. Conclusion: A higher CK19 expression rate was observed in our young-onset HCC cohort, whereas β-catenin pathway activation and TP53 gene mutation events were less frequent. Conventional clinicopathological parameters remain predictors of survival.