Abstract: Background and purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Intrahepatic recurrence is the main factor affecting its medium-term survival rate. Therefore, the search for the markers of metastasis is essential. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of expression of tyrosine kinase phosphorylation Tyr416 of sarcoma (SRC pY416) in HCC with clinical parameters and prognosis. Methods: Immunohistochemical method and Western blot were used to detect the expression of non-receptor tyrosine kinase (SRC pY416) in 112 cases of HCC tissues and 40 cases of corresponding cancer adjacent normal liver tissues. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in patients were detected with chemiluminescence. In the 12 months Follow-up of the study, the association between SRC pY416 expression and clinical parameters was analyzed. Results: SRC pY416 expressions in HCC (65.40±15.69) were higher than those in cancer adjacent normal liver tissues (11.25±2.73, P<0.001). The expressions of SRC pY416 were all associated with the age, the liver cirrhosis, the complete capsule, the tumor differentiation, the HBV DNA and the AFP value of the patients (P<0.01). 12 months after operation, single factor analysis showed that the recurrence was associated with the tumor differentiation, the HBV DNA, the AFP value and the expression of SRC pY416 of the patient (P<0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SRC pY416 was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence and metastasis in patients with HCC in 12 months. Conclusion: SRC pY416 may play an important role in the metastasis of HCC. The expression of SRC pY416 may be the marker for HCC liver metastasis.

Key words: Liver neoplasms, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Tyrosine kinase phosphorylation Tyr416 of sarcoma