Objective: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression has been linked to tumor cell invasion and metastasis, but its role in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has not been addressed. The goal of this study was to investigate FAK expression in ICC and to assess whether its expression is correlated with clinicopathological factors or prognosis in patients with ICC. Methods: FAK expression was examined using immunohistochemistry with sections from 56 resected ICC specimens. The correlations between FAK expression and clinical outcome were assessed. Results: The patients were divided into two groups according to the degree of FAK expression: high FAK group (n = 16) and low FAK group (n = 40). A lower expression of FAK was correlated with tumor size, poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, and intrahepatic metastasis. In the low FAK expression group, multiple recurrence and distant metastases were more prevalent than in the high FAK expression group. The overall and disease-free survival analysis indicated worse outcomes of the low FAK expression group (p < 0.01). Conclusions: A low expression of FAK in ICC is associated with a poor outcome after a surgical resection.

Keywords:
Differentiation, Focal adhesion kinase, Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, Prognosis, Surgical resection, Survival
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2007
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