Prognostic significance of urinary neopterin levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract

Urinary neopterin levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in 15 patients with liver cirrhosis, 18 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 20 normal subjects. The mean levels of urinary neopterin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were significantly elevated (p less than 0.01) compared to those in cirrhotics and normal subjects, but did not significantly differ between cirrhotics and normal subjects. Urinary neopterin levels correlated significantly with tumor size in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma but not with serum alpha-fetoprotein. Hepatocellular carcinoma patients with high urinary neopterin levels appeared to have more serious hepatic dysfunction than those with normal urinary neopterin levels, and moreover, there was a significant difference (p less than 0.05) in survival between the two groups. These findings suggest that urinary neopterin excretion may be a good biochemical marker to assess the progression of tumor and a useful prognostic indicator in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.