Serum Clusterin Level as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third deadliest and fifth most common cancer worldwide, despite the widespread use of surveillance programs in at risk populations, more than half of HCC cases are diagnosed late, and curative therapies such as surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or TACE are possible in less than 30% of patients. Objective To assess the diagnostic and prognostic role of detection of serum Clusterin as a biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma among the Egyptian patients before and after interventional treatment. Patients and Methods This study has been carried out in the department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in Ain Shams University Hospitals and Hepatology department in Manshiyet El Bakry General Hospital in the period between July to December 2020. Results There was significant positive correlation between Clusterin and the mRecist score with pvalue (<0.001) where it increases with advancing in stages. Conclusion AFP is significantly elevated in HCC groups than in cirrhotic (control) and with better sensitivity and specificity than Clusterin. Clusterin has significant positive correlation with Mrecist score of HCC patients which means it acts better as a prognostic tool for following HCC patients. Patients who had recurrence in both HCC groups (RF and TACE) showed less decrease in Clusterine level than those with non-recurrence among both groups. Serum clusterin level was significantly higher among patients with progressive disease (PD) than those with partial response (PR) than those with complete response (CR). Also follow up serum clusterin level after intervention was statistically significant higher among patients with progressive disease (PD) than those with partial response (PR) than those with complete response (CR).