Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to explore the clinical implication of Bcl-2-associated transcription factor 1 (BCLAF1) and T cell factor 3 (TCF3) levels in cancerous tissues in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods 62 patients with HCC were enrolled in our hospital between January 2017 and January 2022, and all underwent hepatectomy. The cancerous and its adjacent liver tissues were collected. The pathological examinations were routinely observed, and the BCLAF1 RNA and TCF3 RNA loads in cancerous and adjacent liver tissues were assayed by qRT-PCR. All patients with HCC were followed-up for two years. Results The BCLAF1 RNA and TCF3 RNA loads in cancerous tissues in patients with HCC were (1.5±0.2) and (1.9± 0.3), significantly higher than [(0.9±0.1) and (1.2±0.1), respectively, P<0.05] in adjacent liver tissues; the cancerous BCLAF1 RNA level in patients with tumor diameter>3 mm was (1.7±0.3), significantly higher than [(1.3±0.2), P<0.05] in patients with tumor diameter≤3 mm; the cancerous BCLAF1 RNA level in patients with capsular invasion was significantly higher than that in patients without capsular invasion [(1.6±0.3) vs. (1.4±0.2), P<0.05]; the cancerous BCLAF1 RNA and TCF3 RNA levels in patients with moderate/low differentiation were much higher than in patients with high tumor cell differentiation(P<0.05), and the cancerous BCLAF1 RNA and TCF3 RNA levels in patients with TNM stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ were significantly lower than in patients with stage Ⅲ(P<0.05); the cancerous BCLAF1 RNA and TCF3 RNA in patients with microvascular invasion were (1.6±0.3) and (2.0±0.3), significantly higher than [(1.3±0.2) and (1.7±0.3), P<0.05] in patients without microvascular invasion; the BCLAF1 RNA and TCF3 RNA loads in patients with lymph node metastasis were (1.6±0.2) and (2.1±0.4), significantly higher than [(1.4±0.2) and (1.7±0.3), P<0.05] in patients without lymph node metastasis; 38 patients (61.3%) survived at the end of two-year follow-up, and the cancerous BCLAF1 RNA and TCF3 RNA loads in dead group were (1.7±0.3) and (2.2±0.4), much higher than [(1.4±0.2) and (1.7±0.3), P<0.05] in survivals. Conclusion The BCLAF1 and TCF3 RNA loads in cancerous tissues in patients with HCC are up-regulated, and are closely correlated to poor prognosis, which warrants further study.

Key words: Hepatoma, Bcl-2-associated transcription factor 1, T cell factor 3, Histopathological feature, Prognosis