Gamma-Smooth Muscle Actin Expression Is Associated with Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Stem-Like Properties in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Taken together, our results support the conclusion that γSMA expression in HCC is strongly correlated with the EMT process, HCC aggressiveness and the identification of cancer stem cells. This correlation suggests that γSMA represents a novel and powerful marker to predict HCC progression.