THE ROLE OF PIVKAII ONCOMARKER IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA:
 А LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Relevance: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks sixth among the most common malignant neoplasms in the world and accounts for about
 5.6% of all human malignant neoplasms. Despite encouraging progress in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC, the prognosis remains unsatisfactory, i.e., with a 5-year overall survival rate below 10.3%. However, the survival rate can reach 50-74% if early detection and therapeutic intervention are carried out on time. However, unfortunately, about 50% of HCC cases are diagnosed at a late stage.
 The protein induced by the absence of vitamin K or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), also known as Dez-γ-carboxyprothrombin (DCP), is another
 marker specific to HCC. In several studies, elevated PIVKA-II serum levels were associated with HCC. Many authors have proven the PIVKA-II
 applicability for HCC monitoring.
 This study aimed to compare the efficiency of alpha-fetoprotein and des-gamma-carboxyprothrombin serological markers in HCC.
 Methods: The study included the review of published articles on the causes of HCC and the analysis of literature to compare cancer markers
 efficacy, including PIVKA-II and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), in detecting HCC.
 Results: The published results evidence an important role of PIVKA-II in HCC early detection, since PIVKA-II elevation in risk-group patients
 predicts HCC development in two years. Higher PIVKA-II levels can indicate a bigger tumor or a higher clinical stage. Besides, HCC patients with
 metastasis to the lymph nodes and distant metastasis had much higher PIVKA-II levels compared to non-metastatic patients. So, high PIVKA-II
 levels can to a certain extent reflect poor prognosis in HCC patients.
 Conclusion: The reviewed publications report much higher PIVKA-II serum levels in patients with HCC compared to patients with benign liver
 diseases or healthy people. Besides, PIVKA-II has a higher diagnostic capacity than AFP due to its higher levels, sensitivity, and specificity. Thus,
 we can expect high sensitivity and efficiency of the PIVKA-II oncomarker in HCC early diagnostics.