Impact of different biochemical markers in serum of patients with benign and malignant liver diseases

Abstract

The only hope for effective treatment of liver cancer lies in early detection or screening for populations who are at high risk for developing liver cancer. This study was designed to study the levels of a collection of biochemical markers in the sera of patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its predisposing diseases. The ultimate aim is to investigate their diagnostic impact in the early detection of HCC and discriminate from benign liver diseases. The study was carried out on 217 individuals divided into the following groups: Group 1: Normal controls, Group 2: Schistosomal patients (Schist), Group 3: Hepatitis B patients (HBV), Group 4: Hepatitis C patients (HCV), Group 5: Cirrhotic patients (Cirr), and Group 6: Hepatocellular carcinoma patients (HCC). The last group was further subdivided into the following subgroups: a – HCC alone; b – HCC on top of schistosomiasis; c – HCC on top of HBV; d – Hepato-cellular carcinoma on top of HCV; e – HCC on top of cirrhosis. Their sera were subjected to a quantitative determination of the tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), epidermal growth factor and its receptor (EGF and EGFR), glutathione-S-transferase alpha (GST-α), iron, ferritin, transferrin, alpha-1-antitrypsin (α1AT) and alpha-fetoprotein (αFP). The results of this study indicate that it is advisable to determine a panel of markers composed of αFP, TNF-α and GST-α to confirm diagnosis of HCC and distinguish it from other benign liver diseases.