Expression of interferon alpha/beta receptor in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Interferon-alpha (IFN alpha) plays a crucial role in the antiproliferation and immunoregulatory activity through the specific cell surface receptor, i nterferon-alpha/beta receptor (IFN alpha/beta R). We examined the immunohis tochemical expression of IFN alpha/beta R in 91 hepatocellular carcinoma (H CC), HCV-related chronic hepatitis (n=38) and cirrhosis (n=53), dysplastic nodules (n=5), and normal liver (n=9). The level of IFN alpha/beta R increa sed in chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis compared with normal liver. All the dysplastic nodules showed moderate or high expression. In HCCs, 26% (24/91) of patients showed high IFN alpha/beta R expression while the remaining 38 % (35/91) showed moderate, and 35% (32/91) no or faint expression. Clinicop athological survey demonstrated a significant correlation between IFN alpha /beta R expression and differentiation of carcinoma (P=0.0008) although the re was no correlation between IFN alpha/beta R expression in HCC and surviv al or disease-free survival. Thus, IFN alpha/beta R was expressed not only in chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis but in HCC and its expression was s ignificantly correlated with tissue differentiation of carcinoma.