The heat shock proteins (HSPs) are ubiquitous molecules induced in cells exposed to various stress conditions, including carcinogenesis. The HSP70 and HSP27 among HSPs are of special relevance in human cancer inhibiting apoptosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the expressions of HSP70 and HSP27 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in association to tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis. We examined the expressions of HSP70 and HSP27 by immunohistochemical staining in 71 cases of HCC, and then related their expressions to clinicopathologic parameters and expressions of p53, Ki-67 and Apotag. HSP70 and HSP27 were frequently stained in the cytoplasm and nuclei of tumor cells, but not in the non-neoplastic hepatocytes. Immunoreactivities of HSP70 and HSP27 were observed in 56.3 and 61.9 of HCCs, respectively. HSP70 immunoreactivity correlated with high Ki-67 labeling indices (LIs) ( p =0.0159), large tumor size ( p =0.0129), presence of portal vein invasion ( p =0.0231), and high tumor stage ( p =0.0392). HSP27 immunoreactivity significantly related with the subgroup of HBV-associated HCCs ( p =0.0003), but not with the others. Both HSP70 and HSP27 immunoreactivities showed no relation to Apotag LIs or p53 immunoreactivity. In conclusion, expressions of HSP70 and HSP27 may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis, and especially HSP70 showed a close relationship to the pathological parameters associated with tumor progression and high Ki-67 LIs. Our results could be additional evidence that HSP70 expressions can contribute to not only hepatocarcinogenesis but also tumor progression by promoting tumor cell proliferation.
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