MicroRNA‑424 expression predicts tumor recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following liver transplantation

Abstract

MicroRNA-424 (miR-424) has previously been described as a biomarker of poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, the clinical significance of miR-424 expression in predicting the rate of tumor recurrence in patients with HCC following liver transplantation (LT) was evaluated. miR-424 expression in HCC samples from 121 patients undergoing LT was examined, and the associations between clinical parameters and patient tumor recurrence were evaluated. The miR-424 expression level in cancer tissues was low compared with that in adjacent noncancerous tissues. Multivariate analyses revealed that low miR-424 expression was an independent prognostic factor for tumor recurrence in patients with HCC following liver transplantation. Patients who no longer met the Milan criteria and had decreased miR-424 expression levels exhibited earlier tumor recurrence following LT. In addition, the upregulation of miR-424 expression significantly reduced the migration, invasion and proliferation of HCC cells. Similarly, the downregulation of miR-424 in HCC cells significantly promoted the migration, invasion and proliferation of HCC cells.