Significance of Serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor Level in Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Background and study aim : Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary hepatic tumor and one of the most common cancers worldwide. New serum tumor markers are required for diagnosis of HCC as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which is the most widely used marker, has poor diagnostic accuracy. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) initially identified and molecularly cloned as a potent mitogen of primary cultured hepatocytes, has multiple activities in a variety of tissues during the course of development and also in various disease states. This study was conducted to assess the diagnostic value of serum HGF as a biomarker for diagnosis HCC. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 30 patients with documented HCC and 30 cirrhotic patients with no evidence of HCC; as well as 25 healthy subjects who served as control group. The levels of AFP and HGF were measured for all cases together with full clinical assessment, liver biochemical profile, viral markers, ultrasound, and abdominal triphasic computerized tomography (CT) scan. Results: The mean value of serum HGF was highly significantly elevated in HCC group compared to the control group (P<0.001), and its level was higher in HCC than cirrhotic group (795.8 ± 312.04 Vs 322.7 ± 45.2 pg/ml respectively) with significant difference (P<0.001). There was significant correlation between serum HGF level and both ALT, MELD score in HCC group (P = 0.005, 0.02 respectively). At cut off level equal or more than 426.1 pg/ml, HGF could diagnose HCC with 96.7% sensitivity and 98.2% specificity and AUROC was 0.99. Conclusion: Serum level of HGF could be considered useful marker for diagnosis of HCV related HCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Study groups: This prospective study was conducted on 60 HCV cirrhotic patients admitted to Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Department. Benha Faculty of Medicine, Benha University in period between March 2014 and December 2014. In addition to 25 apparently healthy subjects served as control group. They were divided into three groups: Group I (liver cirrhosis group): included 30 patients with post hepatitic liver cirrhosis without HCC, the majority of them were males [17 patients (56.7%)]. Group II (HCC group): included 30 cirrhotic patients with HCC, the majority of them were males [23 patients (76.7%)]. Group III (control group): included 25 apparently healthy subjects, 13 of them were males [13 patients (52%)].

Evaluation of trail receptor 1 (DR4) polymorphisms C626G and A683C as risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma

“…High AFP levels have been found in 60‐70% of patients with HCC which are usually <100 ng/mL; in addition, there are other causes of increased AFP levels, such as cirrhosis. Elevated AFP was detected in 10‐33% of patients with chronic liver disease without HCC representing a risk factor for HCC development, thus suggesting that increased AFP production in these patients might reflect abnormal or altered liver cell regeneration …”

P53 is a risk factor of de-novo hepatitis C-related hepatocellular carcinoma treated with direct-acting antivirals: a case-control study

“…[32] found that the serum HGF level was significantly higher in patients with HCC than in patients with chronic viral hepatitis or cirrhosis. Another Egyptian study found significantly high serum levels of HGF in patients with HCC than in patients with liver cirrhosis [33].…”