Abstract
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3), and Golgi protein 73 (GP73) levels have been widely used as tumor markers for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate whether these tumor markers could be used to monitor short-term treatment response and recurrence of HCC in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Between July 2012 and July 2013, 53 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed HCC were prospectively enrolled in this study. Among these, 32 patients underwent RFA, after which they were followed up prospectively at the First Hospital of Jilin University in China. AFP, AFP-L3, and GP-73 values pre-RFA were not associated with tumor size, whereas AFP and GP-73 levels tended to be associated with tumor number, the presence of vascular invasion, deterioration of liver function, advanced-stage disease, and a poor performance status. GP-73 levels were dramatically elevated in the patients with hepatitis C-associated HCC. Neither pre-RFA nor 1-month post-RFA tumor marker values were associated with short-term outcome. The short-term recurrence rate of AFP-positive patients measured 1 month post-RFA was obviously higher than that of AFP-negative patients. AFP and GP-73 values were associated with clinical variables representing tumor growth and invasiveness, and the AFP value measured 1 month post-RFA was a strong predictor of short-term recurrence in patients with HCC.
Highlights
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and third most common cause of cancerrelated death worldwide (El–Serag and Rudolph, 2007), and its incidence is increasing in various countries (Bosetti et al, 2008; Chong et al, 2013)
We investigated the roles of AFP, AFP-L3, and Golgi protein 73 (GP73) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy to determine whether these serum markers could be used as prognostic factors for monitoring shortterm treatment response and detecting relapse after this kind of curative treatment
AFP-L3 is an isoform of AFP, and it is clinically reported as the percentage of AFP-L3 to total AFP; the AFP-L3 value is associated with AFP
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and third most common cause of cancerrelated death worldwide (El–Serag and Rudolph, 2007), and its incidence is increasing in various countries (Bosetti et al, 2008; Chong et al, 2013). In China, 7.18% of the entire population carry the hepatitis B virus, and Chinese patients account for >55% of new cases of HCC worldwide. HCC is a leading cause of cancerrelated death in China (Shariff et al, 2009; Garcia et al.). The prognosis can be obviously improved by early diagnosis, optimal treatment, and early detection of recurrence. For this purpose, serological tumor markers have been clinically used because of their convenience, inexpensiveness, and accuracy (Taketa et al, 1990; Fujiyama et al, 2002)
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