Expression of HDAC4 in Stage B Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Influence on Survival.

Objectives. Histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) is involved in the development of multiple types of cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of HDAC4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. 49 patients with stage B HCC who underwent surgical resection were enrolled in this study. All patients were followed up with an observation time of 4.8 to 7 years. Immunohistochemistry was applied to investigate the expression level of HDAC4. Results. HDAC4 protein is over-expressed in HCC tissues compared with matched adjacent non-cancer tissues. Kaplan-Meier analysis shows that the positive expression of HDAC4 is associated with poor survival in these patients. Conclusions. Our study shows that HDAC4 over-expression is important for the development of advanced HCC, which may serve as a useful prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for this malignancy.