To investigate the expression and significance of S-phase kinase associated protein 2(Skp2) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) in the tissues of familial aggregation hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Clinical data of 79 HCC patients who received resection of liver cancer from January 2001 to January 2010 in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University were analyzed retrospectively. The informed consents of all patients were obtained and the ethical committee approval was received. The patients were divided into two groups: familial aggregation HCC group [FH group; 6 males and 28 females; mean age of (34±5) year old] and non-familial aggregation HCC group [NFH group; 8 males and 37 females; mean age of (59±4) year old]. Another 40 cases with normal liver tissues were selected as control. The expression of Skp2 and PCNA were detected by immunohistochemistry and the protein contents of Skp2 and PCNA were detected by Western blot. Measurement data of the general clinical data and protein contents of Skp2 and PCNA were compared by t test. Qualitative data of the general clinical data and positive expression of Skp2 and PCNA were compared by Chi-square test.

There was no significant difference between FH group and NFH group in sex, age, positive rate of hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg), quantitation of hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid(HBV-DNA), the level of alpha fetal protein(AFP), Child-Pugh score, presence or absent of extrahepatic metastasis of tumor, tumor capsule and venous tumor emboli(P>0.05). Compared with NFH group, the number densities of Skp2 and PCNA positive expression in FH group were significantly higher[(17±3)/high power field vs. (37±3)/high power field, (38±4)/high power field vs. (57±5)/high power field; t=2.12, 3.14; P<0.05]. The results of Western blot assay showed that the protein contents of Skp2 and PCNA of HCC tissues in FH group were significantly higher than those in NFH group[(2.7±0.3) vs. (1.7±0.4), (2.4±0.4) vs. (1.5±0.3); t=0.15, 0.13; P<0.05].

The positive expression of Skp2 and PCNA increase in the tissues of HCC. The expression of Skp2 and PCNA in the tissues of familial aggregation HCC obviously increase than that in the tissues of non-familial aggregation HCC.