Abstract: Objective To explore the expression of thymosin beta-10 mRNA in human HCC tissues and its clinical significance. Methods Reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions(RT-PCR) was employed to determine the expression of thymosin beta-10 mRNA in 70 cases of HCC and the adjacent liver tissues,as well as in 18 normal liver tissues.Results The expression level of thymosin beta-10 mRNA in normal liver tissue(1.30±0.53) and adjacent liver tissue(1.21±0.50) was markedly higher than that in HCC tissues(1.01±0.41,P<0.05).The expression level of thymosin beta-10 mRNA were not significantly different between normal liver tissue and adjacent liver tissue(P>0.05).The expression of thymosin beta-10 in HCC tissue was significantly correlated with the portal vein tumor thrombus,the number and the size of tumor,but not correlated with the clinical stage of the patients,the presence of extrahepatic metastasis,the recurrence of tumor,the level of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP),and the differentiation of tumor.Conclusion Thymosin beta-10 may play a role in initiation and progression of HCC.

Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma