Objective       To investigate the expression of E-cadherin and its prognostic significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples.       Methods       Seventy-nine HCC patients undergoing surgical resection in our department from January 2005 to June 2009 were enrolled in this study. They were 69 males and 10 females

at a mean age of 51.69±12.84 (ranging from 23 to 78). The protein levels of E-cadherin were detected in 5 paired specimens of HCC and para-carcinaoma tissues by Western blotting

and in all 79 HCC tissues by immunohistochemical assay. The correlation of E-cadherin status with histological grade was analyzed. In addition

Kaplan-Meier and Log rank methods were employed to compare the prognosis among the patients with different E-cadherin expression levels.       Results       Among 5 paired HCC and para-carcinoma tissues

3 cases had low expression of E-cadherin in tumor tissues. Compared with normal liver tissues

the E-cadherin expression was significantly lower in the liver cancer tissues(P0.01)

and lower E-cadherin expression was associated with high histological grade(P=0.028). Sixty-four of 79 HCC patients (81.0%) showed low levels of E-cadherin. Lower E-cadherin expression was associated with poorer prognosis in HCC(P=0.040 9).       Conclusion       The protein level of E-cadherin is down-regulated in HCC

and its low level predicts poor prognosis.