Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of glypican-3 (GPC-3) protein in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to investigate the correlation between the GPC-3 expression and the prognosis of HCC.Methods Ninety-one HCC cases and 32 healthy subjects from January 2014 to April 2015 were collected. The GPC-3 and P53 protein levels of all subjects were detected through immunohistochemical SP indirect method. The correlation and prognostic value between HCC and proteins were analyzed.Results The GPC-3 expressed in 80.2% HCC tissues (73/91) and 6.3% (2/32) normal tissues, the difference was. statistically significant (P<0.001). The positive rate P53 (92.5%) was significantly higher in GPC-3 positive group (P=0.015). The positive expression of GPC-3 was related to the histological differentiation and TNM stages (P=0.010, P=0.011). The survival rate of patients in GPC-3 positive group (9.6%) was much lower than that in GPC-3 negative group (38.9%) (P=0.017).Conclusion GPC-3 is an important biomarker in diagnosing HCC. P53 and GPC-3 pathway may be related to tumorigenesis and progression of HCC. Detection of the GPC-3 expression is important in evaluating the prognosis of HCC.

Key words: Liver neoplasm, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Glypican-3, Immunohistochemistry, P53, Prognosis