Background and Aims: Previous studies have shown that Bcl-2 inhibitor of transcription 1 (Bit1) is abnormally expressed in a variety of tumors and plays an important role in tumor progression. However, The expression level and clinical significance of Bit1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are worthy to be investigated. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the clinical significance of Bit1 in HCC by determining the Bit1 expression in HCC tissue and its relationship with the  clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis of HCC patients. 
Methods: The mRNA and protein expressions of Bit1 in surgical specimens of HCC tissue and corresponding adjacent tissues from HCC patients were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The protein expressions of Bit1 in 90 pairs of HCC tumor tissue and corresponding adjacent tissue in HCC tissue chip were determined by immunohistochemical staining, and the relations of Bit1 expression with the clinicopathologic variables and the prognosis of HCC patients were analyzed.
Results: The results of qRT-PCR and Western blot showed that both Bit1 mRNA and protein expressions in HCC tissue were significantly upregulated compared with tumor adjacent tissue (both P<0.05). The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that Bit1 protein was localized in the cytoplasm and its high expression rate in HCC tissue was significantly higher than that in tumor adjacent tissue (P<0.05), and the expression of Bit1 in HCC tissue was significantly related to tumor recurrence and pathological grade of HCC patients (both P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate in patients with high Bit1 protein expression were lower than those in patients with low Bit1 protein expression, but both did not reach a statistical significance (P=0.547, 0.414). 
Conclusion: Bit1 presents a high expression in HCC tissues, and is closely related to tumor recurrence and pathological grade, suggesting that Bit1 may be an important molecule that affects tumor progression, and it is expected to become a target for individualized treatment of HCC patients.