CYLD downregulation is correlated with tumor development in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The cylindromatosis () gene is involved in tumor progression by acting as a negative regulator of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). However, the clinical significance of CYLD in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. To demonstrate the clinical significance of expression, we analyzed gene expression in 124 paired HCC and non-tumor tissues using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). gene expression was detected in the patients and the cut-off value was determined by the median value of tumor-to-non-tumor (T/N) ratio. qRT-PCR analysis showed that a low expression was associated with a high serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) value. Patients in the low expression group exhibited poorer overall survival compared to those in the high expression group (P=0.0406). Protein expression of CYLD was also investigated in 70 patients with HCC using immunohistochemistry. The findings showed that CYLD protein expression in tumor tissue was associated with gene expression (P=0.031). The findings of the present study suggest that CYLD is clinically associated with tumor development in HCC patients.