Utility of Alpha-Fetoprotein-L3 and Golgi Protein 73 for Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is amongst the most common malignant tumors that carries a poor prognosis. Clinically, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the most extensively used serum biomarker for diagnosing HCC. Objectives: The current study was conducted to explore the diagnostic value of serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein-L3 (AFP-L3) and Golgi protein 73 (GP73) regarding HCC, and to determine the diagnostic accuracy of these biomarkers when used individually as well as in combination with AFP. Methodology: Blood samples were collected from 50 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis (25 subjects with HCC and 25 without HCC) recruited from the outpatient clinics of the Specialized Internal Medicine Hospital, Mansoura University, Egypt. Serum concentrations of AFP-L3 and GP73 were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Diagnostic performance of AFP-L3 and GP73 was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Overall, the median serum level of AFP-L3 was higher in the HCC group compared to the cirrhotic group (p=0.05). Moreover, a statistically-significant difference was observed between the median serum value of GP73 in HCC patients compared to those with cirrhosis (p < 0.001). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUROC) values for AFP, AFP-L3 and GP73 were 0.88, 0.67 and 0.83, respectively. Of the 3 biomarkers, GP73 demonstrated the highest sensitivity (88%). The AUROC for AFP and AFP-L3 combination was 0.85, whereas that for AFP and GP73 was 0.90. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that GP73 is more sensitive than AFP and AFP-L3 in diagnosing HCC. Furthermore, the combined determination of GP73 and AFP could improve the diagnostic ability of HCC.