Hexokinase II is a key
enzyme in the glycolytic pathway and possesses anti-apoptotic properties in
tumor cells. The present study aimed to analyze the expression of
hexokinase II and its clinical correlation with clinical factors in patients with
hepatocellular carcinoma who treated surgically in China. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to determine
hexokinase II mRNA expression in
cancer tissues.
Protein expression of
hexokinase II was evaluated immunohistochemically. Correlation of
hexokinase II expression with clinical data was analyzed by the χ(2) or Fisher exact test. Survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, compared by log-rank test and Cox regression model. A total of 97 specimens were analyzed. Fifty-four
tumors showed strong expression of
hexokinase II (55.67% expression rate). There were no statistical associations between
hexokinase II expression and age, gender,
tumor size, TNM stage, serum AFP level, and hepatitis virus
infection. Kaplan-Meier curves showed an association between positive
Hexokinase II expression and worse overall survival (P value = 0.043). Furthermore, patients expressing
hexokinase II had a relatively higher risk for poor prognosis (hazard ratio = 2.049). These results suggest that
hexokinase II is highly expressed in
hepatocellular carcinoma and has prognostic significance.
Hexokinase II represents a potential new therapeutic target in this
malignancy.