BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common pathological type of liver cancer and was the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2020.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic potential of key t...BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common pathological type of liver cancer and was the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2020.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic potential of key tumor markers in serum,bile,and fecal samples for detecting HCC.METHODS Blood,bile,and fecal samples were collected from patients(n=265)with HCC and cholecystitis from Guangxi Medical University’s First Affiliated Hospital.Immunohistochemistry was performed on 69 HCC samples,and 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was conducted on 166 fecal samples.Tumor marker cut-off values in bile and feces were determined using the Youden index,while serum biomarkers followed hospital standards.Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic analysis.RESULTS The areas under the curve(AUCs)for distinguishing HCC were 0.898,0.904,and 0.859 for serum alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II(PIVKA-II),and bile AFP,respectively.Serum AFP had the highest diagnostic value(80%)for early-stage HCC.Combination analysis found that bile AFP and serum PIVKAII achieved the highest AUC of 0.965(P<0.001),suggesting that bile AFP may serve as a valuable complementary biomarker,particularly in cases where serum AFP is not significantly elevated.Additionally,bile AFP was positively correlated with Actinomyces,which plays a significant role in promoting tumorigenesis;and was negatively correlated with Faecalibacterium,which was associated with robust anticancer immune responses(P<0.05).These findings suggest the potential role of gut microbiota in modulating AFP levels and HCC progression.CONCLUSION Bile AFP improved the sensitivity of HCC detection,with the combination of bile AFP and PIVKA-II demonstrating the highest AUC for HCC diagnosis.AFP is associated with poorer clinical outcomes.展开更多
BACKGROUND The GALAD score has improved early hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)detection rate.The role of the GALAD score in staging and predicting tumor characteristics or clinical outcome of HCC remains of particular in...BACKGROUND The GALAD score has improved early hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)detection rate.The role of the GALAD score in staging and predicting tumor characteristics or clinical outcome of HCC remains of particular interest.AIM To determine the diagnostic/prognostic performances of the GALAD score at various phases of initial diagnosis,tumor features,and 1-year mortality of HCC and compare the performance of the GALAD score with those of other serum biomarkers.METHODS This prospective,diagnostic/prognostic study was conducted among patients with newly diagnosed HCC at the liver center of Vajira Hospital.Eligible patients had HCC staging allocation using the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC)categorization.Demographics,HCC etiology,and HCC features were recorded.Biomarkers and the GALAD score were obtained at baseline.The performance of the GALAD score and biomarkers were prospectively assessed.RESULTS Exactly 115 individuals were diagnosed with HCC.The GALAD score increased with disease severity.Between BCLC-0/A and BCLC-B/C/D,the GALAD score predicted HCC staging with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.868(95%CI:0.80–0.93).For identifying the curative HCC,the AUC of GALAD score was significantly higher than that of Alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)(0.753)and Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP-L3(0.706),and as good as that of Protein induced by vitamin K absence-II(PIVKA-II)(0.897).For detecting aggressive features,the GALAD score gave an AUC of 0.839(95%CI:0.75–0.92)and significantly outperformed compared to that of AFP(0.761)and AFP-L3(0.697),with a trend of superiority to that of PIVKA-II(0.772).The performance to predict 1-year mortality of GALAD score(AUC:0.711,95%CI:0.60–0.82)was better than that of AFP(0.541)and as good as that of PIVKA-II(0.736).The optimal cutoff value of GALAD score was≥6.83,with a specificity of 72.63%for exhibiting substantial reduction in the 1-year mortality.CONCLUSION The GALAD model can diagnose HCC at the curative stage,including the characteristic of advanced disease,more than that by AFP and AFP-L3,but not PIVKA-II.The GALAD score can be used to predict the 1-year mortality of HCC.展开更多
BACKGROUND Simple hepatic cysts are relatively common in adults, and mostly appear asasymptomatic incidental radiologic findings. Occasionally, a large cyst will causesymptoms. Elevations in the serum biomarkers prote...BACKGROUND Simple hepatic cysts are relatively common in adults, and mostly appear asasymptomatic incidental radiologic findings. Occasionally, a large cyst will causesymptoms. Elevations in the serum biomarkers protein induced by vitamin Kabsence (PIVKA)-II, cancer antigen (CA) 12-5, and CA19-9 are often associatedwith malignant tumors in the liver or bile ducts. This is the first report to describea case of hepatic cyst with elevated levels of PIVKA-II and CA12-5.CASE SUMMARY An 84-year-old Chinese woman was admitted with gradual abdominal distension.Her symptoms started 1 year ago, and she had poor appetite and a weight loss of5 kg within the past 2 wk. She denied any symptoms associated with abdominalpain, fever and chills, nausea and vomiting, etc. The abdomen was enlarged, morein the right upper quadrant, without tenderness. Laboratory examination showedsignificantly increased serum levels of PIVKA-II, CA12-5, and CA19-9. Acomputed tomography scan revealed multiple round cysts in the liver with clearboundaries. The largest cyst was 20.1 cm × 12.2 cm × 19.6 cm in size, located in theright lobe of the liver with mild dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct, but therewas no contrast enhancement. Percutaneous drainage on the largest hepatic cystand polycinnamol sclerosing agent injection into the cyst cavity were performed.After treatment, the patient’s symptoms relieved and the elevated serum tumormakers reduced to the normal levels dramatically.CONCLUSION The present report identifies an unusual case of a giant hepatic cyst with markedelevation of serum tumor marker levels of PIVKA-II, CA12-5, and CA19-9. Aftertreatment, these three serum markers dramatically decreased to normal levels.The mechanisms for the elevation of these tumor markers may be as follows: (1) Agiant hepatic cyst compresses the liver, causing injury to the hepatocytes, whichmay lead to secretion of a large amount of PIVKA-II;and (2) Some tumorassociatedantigens, such as carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, CA12-5, andCA15-3, are expressed on inflammatory cells.展开更多
BACKGROUND Alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),a commonly used biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),is normal in up to one-third of patients.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic performance of des-gamma-carboxy-prothrombin(DCP)al...BACKGROUND Alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),a commonly used biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),is normal in up to one-third of patients.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic performance of des-gamma-carboxy-prothrombin(DCP)alone and in combination with AFP.METHODS In this study,202 patients with radiologically proven HCC were enrolled,and their DCP and AFP levels were evaluated for their diagnostic performance.RESULTS The mean age of the enrolled patients was 58.5 years;72.0%were male.DCP was elevated in 86.6%(n=175)of all patients,100.0%(n=74)of patients with portal vein thrombus,and 87.4%(n=111)of patients with multicentric HCC.AFP was elevated in 64.3%(n=130)of all the patients,74%(n=55)of the patients with portal vein thrombus,and 71.6%(n=91)of the patients with multicentric HCC(P=0.030,0.001,and 0.015,respectively).In tumors less than 2 cm in size(n=46),DCP was increased in 32(69.5%)patients,and AFP was increased in 25(54.3%)patients(P=0.801).There was good pairing between DCP and AFP for HCCs of 2 cm size or larger(P<0.001);however,the pairing among tumors<2 cm size was not significant(P=0.210).In 69 of the patients(34.1%),only one of the tumor markers was positive;DCP was elevated alone in 57/202(28.2%)of all patients,and AFP alone was elevated in 12/202(5.9%)of the patients.The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves(AUROC)for tumors>2 cm was 0.74 for DCP and 0.59 for AFP;combining both markers resulted in an AUROC of 0.73.For tumors<2 cm,the AUROC was 0.25 for DCP and 0.40 for AFP.CONCLUSION DCP,as an individual marker,had a better diagnostic performance in many cases of HCC.Hence,DCP may replace AFP as the primary HCC biomarker.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common pathological type of liver cancer and was the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2020.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic potential of key tumor markers in serum,bile,and fecal samples for detecting HCC.METHODS Blood,bile,and fecal samples were collected from patients(n=265)with HCC and cholecystitis from Guangxi Medical University’s First Affiliated Hospital.Immunohistochemistry was performed on 69 HCC samples,and 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was conducted on 166 fecal samples.Tumor marker cut-off values in bile and feces were determined using the Youden index,while serum biomarkers followed hospital standards.Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic analysis.RESULTS The areas under the curve(AUCs)for distinguishing HCC were 0.898,0.904,and 0.859 for serum alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II(PIVKA-II),and bile AFP,respectively.Serum AFP had the highest diagnostic value(80%)for early-stage HCC.Combination analysis found that bile AFP and serum PIVKAII achieved the highest AUC of 0.965(P<0.001),suggesting that bile AFP may serve as a valuable complementary biomarker,particularly in cases where serum AFP is not significantly elevated.Additionally,bile AFP was positively correlated with Actinomyces,which plays a significant role in promoting tumorigenesis;and was negatively correlated with Faecalibacterium,which was associated with robust anticancer immune responses(P<0.05).These findings suggest the potential role of gut microbiota in modulating AFP levels and HCC progression.CONCLUSION Bile AFP improved the sensitivity of HCC detection,with the combination of bile AFP and PIVKA-II demonstrating the highest AUC for HCC diagnosis.AFP is associated with poorer clinical outcomes.
基金The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital(No.COA 165/2564).
文摘BACKGROUND The GALAD score has improved early hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)detection rate.The role of the GALAD score in staging and predicting tumor characteristics or clinical outcome of HCC remains of particular interest.AIM To determine the diagnostic/prognostic performances of the GALAD score at various phases of initial diagnosis,tumor features,and 1-year mortality of HCC and compare the performance of the GALAD score with those of other serum biomarkers.METHODS This prospective,diagnostic/prognostic study was conducted among patients with newly diagnosed HCC at the liver center of Vajira Hospital.Eligible patients had HCC staging allocation using the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC)categorization.Demographics,HCC etiology,and HCC features were recorded.Biomarkers and the GALAD score were obtained at baseline.The performance of the GALAD score and biomarkers were prospectively assessed.RESULTS Exactly 115 individuals were diagnosed with HCC.The GALAD score increased with disease severity.Between BCLC-0/A and BCLC-B/C/D,the GALAD score predicted HCC staging with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.868(95%CI:0.80–0.93).For identifying the curative HCC,the AUC of GALAD score was significantly higher than that of Alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)(0.753)and Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP-L3(0.706),and as good as that of Protein induced by vitamin K absence-II(PIVKA-II)(0.897).For detecting aggressive features,the GALAD score gave an AUC of 0.839(95%CI:0.75–0.92)and significantly outperformed compared to that of AFP(0.761)and AFP-L3(0.697),with a trend of superiority to that of PIVKA-II(0.772).The performance to predict 1-year mortality of GALAD score(AUC:0.711,95%CI:0.60–0.82)was better than that of AFP(0.541)and as good as that of PIVKA-II(0.736).The optimal cutoff value of GALAD score was≥6.83,with a specificity of 72.63%for exhibiting substantial reduction in the 1-year mortality.CONCLUSION The GALAD model can diagnose HCC at the curative stage,including the characteristic of advanced disease,more than that by AFP and AFP-L3,but not PIVKA-II.The GALAD score can be used to predict the 1-year mortality of HCC.
文摘BACKGROUND Simple hepatic cysts are relatively common in adults, and mostly appear asasymptomatic incidental radiologic findings. Occasionally, a large cyst will causesymptoms. Elevations in the serum biomarkers protein induced by vitamin Kabsence (PIVKA)-II, cancer antigen (CA) 12-5, and CA19-9 are often associatedwith malignant tumors in the liver or bile ducts. This is the first report to describea case of hepatic cyst with elevated levels of PIVKA-II and CA12-5.CASE SUMMARY An 84-year-old Chinese woman was admitted with gradual abdominal distension.Her symptoms started 1 year ago, and she had poor appetite and a weight loss of5 kg within the past 2 wk. She denied any symptoms associated with abdominalpain, fever and chills, nausea and vomiting, etc. The abdomen was enlarged, morein the right upper quadrant, without tenderness. Laboratory examination showedsignificantly increased serum levels of PIVKA-II, CA12-5, and CA19-9. Acomputed tomography scan revealed multiple round cysts in the liver with clearboundaries. The largest cyst was 20.1 cm × 12.2 cm × 19.6 cm in size, located in theright lobe of the liver with mild dilatation of the intrahepatic bile duct, but therewas no contrast enhancement. Percutaneous drainage on the largest hepatic cystand polycinnamol sclerosing agent injection into the cyst cavity were performed.After treatment, the patient’s symptoms relieved and the elevated serum tumormakers reduced to the normal levels dramatically.CONCLUSION The present report identifies an unusual case of a giant hepatic cyst with markedelevation of serum tumor marker levels of PIVKA-II, CA12-5, and CA19-9. Aftertreatment, these three serum markers dramatically decreased to normal levels.The mechanisms for the elevation of these tumor markers may be as follows: (1) Agiant hepatic cyst compresses the liver, causing injury to the hepatocytes, whichmay lead to secretion of a large amount of PIVKA-II;and (2) Some tumorassociatedantigens, such as carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, CA12-5, andCA15-3, are expressed on inflammatory cells.
文摘BACKGROUND Alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),a commonly used biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),is normal in up to one-third of patients.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic performance of des-gamma-carboxy-prothrombin(DCP)alone and in combination with AFP.METHODS In this study,202 patients with radiologically proven HCC were enrolled,and their DCP and AFP levels were evaluated for their diagnostic performance.RESULTS The mean age of the enrolled patients was 58.5 years;72.0%were male.DCP was elevated in 86.6%(n=175)of all patients,100.0%(n=74)of patients with portal vein thrombus,and 87.4%(n=111)of patients with multicentric HCC.AFP was elevated in 64.3%(n=130)of all the patients,74%(n=55)of the patients with portal vein thrombus,and 71.6%(n=91)of the patients with multicentric HCC(P=0.030,0.001,and 0.015,respectively).In tumors less than 2 cm in size(n=46),DCP was increased in 32(69.5%)patients,and AFP was increased in 25(54.3%)patients(P=0.801).There was good pairing between DCP and AFP for HCCs of 2 cm size or larger(P<0.001);however,the pairing among tumors<2 cm size was not significant(P=0.210).In 69 of the patients(34.1%),only one of the tumor markers was positive;DCP was elevated alone in 57/202(28.2%)of all patients,and AFP alone was elevated in 12/202(5.9%)of the patients.The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves(AUROC)for tumors>2 cm was 0.74 for DCP and 0.59 for AFP;combining both markers resulted in an AUROC of 0.73.For tumors<2 cm,the AUROC was 0.25 for DCP and 0.40 for AFP.CONCLUSION DCP,as an individual marker,had a better diagnostic performance in many cases of HCC.Hence,DCP may replace AFP as the primary HCC biomarker.
