Abstract
Background: Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma is very important in the treatment which is feasible. Alpha-fetoprotein plus ultrasound in surveillance programs is controversial. GP73 is a protein. Golgi increase significantly in the sera of patients with hepatitis B virus and HCV-related HCC, providing a marker for its early detection. The aim is to detect serum Golgi protein 73 (GP73) in patients with cirrhosis and with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to determine its sensitivity and specificity as a screening tool for the detection of HCC.
Methods: A case control study was conducted in four groups of 32 participants each: 1- healthy controls; 2 chronic liver disease; 3 - decompensated liver disease; 4 - HCC group. The HCC group included 25 males and 7 females with a mean age of 58 +/- 7 years, fulfilling diagnostic criteria for HCC. GP73 was estimated in the serum samples taken from the HCC group and control groups.
Results: GP73 was elevated in patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis. Serum level was very high in HCC patients (p < 0.01) when compared with the other studied groups. GP73 had a sensitivity of 96.9% and specificity of 96.9% at a cutoff value of 17.5 ng/mL when compared with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) that showed a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 92% at a cutoff value of 9.4 ng/mL.
Conclusions: GP73 can be used as a screening tool for the detection of HCC with higher diagnostic performance than AFP.