HOXB7 Expression is a Novel Biomarker for Long-term Prognosis After Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Homeobox B7 (HOXB7) gene is involved in various cellular functions. We investigated the clinical significance of HOXB7 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).HOXB7 mRNA expression in 103 HCC samples and 58 matched non-cancerous liver tissues were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). HOXB7 protein expression was also examined by immunohistochemistry. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed using a public dataset.HOXB7 expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in liver parenchyma. Ten-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) of cases with higher HOXB7 expression were significantly poorer than those with lower HOXB7 expression. HOXB7 expression was significantly associated with larger tumor size and higher rate of biliary invasion and constituted an independent prognostic factor for OS by multivariate analysis. These results were supported by GSEA.HOXB7 expression in HCC could be a novel biomarker for long-term prognosis after tumor resection.