Decreased expression of serum semaphorin 3B is associated with poor prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Semaphorin 3B (SEMA-3B), which belongs to the semaphorin family, has an important role in cell apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. A previous study by our group revealed that SEMA-3B was downregulated in tumor tissues of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and exerts anti-motility and anti-invasion effects on tumor cells. However, the serum levels of SEMA-3B and their clinical significance have remained elusive; therefore, the aim of the present study was to monitor its expression in HCC and investigate its clinical significance. ELISA was used to determine the serum levels of SEMA-3B in 132 patients with HCC and 57 healthy individuals. The association between SEMA-3B and clinicopathological parameters was investigated. Serum SEMA-3B was indicated to be significantly decreased in patients with HCC as compared with that in the controls (P<0.05) and it was negatively associated with tumor size (P=0.039), encapsulation (P=0.002) and TNM stage (P=0.034). The prognosis of patients with low expression of SEMA-3B was poor. In conclusion, the results of the present study revealed that serum SEMA-3B is decreased in HCC and is negatively associated with prognosis; therefore, it may be used as a prognostic marker in HCC.