Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to detect the expression of chromobox protein homolog 7 (CBX7) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (PERK) in cancerous tissues in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore their implications of prognosis after hepatectomy. Methods A total of 68 patients with HCC were treated with hepatectomy in our hospital between January 2016 and January 2017, and the cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous liver tissues were collected. The CBX7 mRNA and PERK mRNA were detected by RT-PCR, and the expression of CBX7 and PERK proteins in cancerous tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results The CBX7 mRNA level in cancerous tissue was significantly lower than that in adjacent liver tissues [(0.51±0.10) vs. (4.11±0.91), P<0.05], while the PERK mRNA level was significantly higher than that in adjacent liver tissues [(4.87±0.99) vs. (0.58±0.15, P<0.05]; the positive rate of intensified expression of CBX7 in 38 patients with tumor diameter >3 cm was 33.3%, significantly lower than 66.7% in 30 patients with tumor size ≤3 cm, while the positive rate of intensified expression of PERK was 73.3%, much higher than 26.7% in patients with tumor size ≤3 cm; the positive rate of intensified expression of CBXY in 28 patients with AJCC stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ was 8.3%, significantly lower than 91.7% in 40 patients with AJCC stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ, while the positive rate of intensified expression of PERK was 70.0%, significantly higher than 30.0%(P<0.05) in the control; the 1 a, 2 a and 3 a survival rates in 32 patients with cancerous intensified expression of CBX7 were 78.1%, 65.6% and 53.1%, significantly higher than 52.7%, 38.9% and 30.6% (P<0.05) in 36 patients with weak or negative expression, and the 1 a, 2 a and 3 a survival rates in 38 patients with cancerous intensified expression of PERK were 55.3%, 44.7% and 31.6%, significantly lower than 80.0%,63.6% and 53.3% (P<0.05) in 30 patients with weak or negative expression. Conclusion The HCC patients with decreased cancerous expression of CBX7 and intensified expression of PERK might have a poor prognosis after hepatectomy, which should take into consideration in dealing with them in clinical practice.

Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Chromobox protein homolog 7, Phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase, Prognosis