Conclusions
Over-expression of MAT2A in HCC may be a useful biomarker for predicting and monitoring tumor recurrence, especially early after hepatic resection.
Methods
A total of 210 patients with HCC who underwent curative resection between 2004 and 2011 were included. The levels of MAT proteins were immunohistochemically measured.
Results
MAT1A and MAT2A were over-expressed in 134 (63.8%) and 124 (59.1%) of the 210 tumor tissues, respectively. Up-regulation of tumoral MAT1A was independently associated with male gender, and inversely related to tumors >5 cm (adjusted odds ratios [OR] 2.59, P = 0.008, and OR 0.44, P = 0.012, respectively). Enhanced MAT2A expression was significantly related to age ≥60 years and serum AFP >200 ng/mL (OR 0.51, P = 0.030; and OR 2.65, P = 0.003; respectively). Tumoral MAT2A over-expression independently predicted an increased rate of recurrence within 1 year after hepatectomy (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.45, P = 0.012), but that was not the case for MAT1A expression (HR 0.90, P = 0.744). High MAT2A was also an independent predictor of early recurrence (HR 2.54, P = 0.034) in the subset of patients without microvascular invasion (n = 155). Conclusions: Over-expression of MAT2A in HCC may be a useful biomarker for predicting and monitoring tumor recurrence, especially early after hepatic resection.