The Role of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K) in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway dysregulation is prevalent in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), driving tumor progression. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the expression of PI3K in HCC, its correlation with clinicopathological features, and prognostic significance. A total of 220 HCC patients who underwent surgical resection at our institution from 2016 - 2021 were enrolled. PI3K expression in tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry. High PI3K expression in tumor tissues was significantly associated with larger tumor size (p = 0.008), higher histological grade (p = 0.01), and microvascular invasion (p = 0.003). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified high PI3K expression as an independent predictor of poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6 - 3.9, p < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (HR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3 - 3.4, p = 0.004). These findings underscore the critical role of PI3K in HCC progression and its potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.