Abstract:  Objective To investigate the expression of HOXC8 in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma and its effect on prognosis.Methods The expression levels of HOXC8 protein in 49 cases of hilar cholangiocarcinoma and corresponding adjacent tissues were detected by tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. The relationship of the expression of HOXC8 protein，the clinico-pathological features and prognosis of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma was analyzed. Results The positive expression rate of HOXC8 protein in hilar cholangiocarcinoma tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues（57.1% vs 42.9%，P<0.001）. HOXC8 expression was correlated with tumor invasion，lymph node metastasis，and TNM stage（P<0.05）. Univariate survival analysis showed that patients with positive expression of HOXC8 had poor overall survival than those with negative HOXC8 expression patients（12 months vs 46 months，P<0.001）. Multivariate regression analysis showed that HOXC8 was an independent prognostic factor for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma（P=0.039）. Conclusions HOXC8 is highly expressed in hilar cholangiocarcinoma and is associated with poor prognosis. HOXC8 may be used as a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Key words: Hilar cholangiocarcinoma, HOXC8, Prognosis, Immunohistochemistry