Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is now considered as the major cause of cryptogenic cirrhosis, which can progress to HCC. Glypican-3 is a member of the Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan (HSP) family that plays a role in cell growth, differentiation, and migration. Glypican-3 is significantly up-regulated in a majority of HCCs compared to normal and benign liver samples. Glypican-3 protein is detectable in around 40-53% of HCC patients whereas it is not detectable in the serum of healthy individuals. There are several reports of HCC arising in the setting of non-cirrhotic NASH. This report describes a case of HCC that expressed Glypican-3 and arose in a 47-year-old female with noncirrhotic NASH.