Expression and prognostic significance of CDK8 and β-catenin in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background/Aim: Cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) is known to play an important role in the early development and progression of various cancers, and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is also involved in cancer progression. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about the regulatory mechanisms of the β-catenin pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: The complete clinicopathological features of 122 pairs of HCC and adjacent non-tumor tissues were analyzed and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the aberrant expression of CDK8 and β- catenin. Overall survival rates (OSRs) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox multivariate analysis was used to assess the prognostic values. Results: Aberrant expression of nuclear β-catenin and CDK8 are independent prognostic variables that negatively affect the OSR. The aberrant expression of CDK8 was associated with the dysregulated expression of β-catenin and correlated with a poor prognosis. Conclusion: Inhibition of CDK8 and/or nuclear β-catenin expression pattern could serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HCC.