[The diagnostic approach to hepatocellular carcinoma]

An Overview of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance Focusing on Non-Cirrhotic NAFLD Patients: A Challenge for Physicians

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver disease worldwide and it ranges from simple steatosis to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC represents the first liver tumor and the third source of cancer death. In the next few years, the prevalence of NAFLD and consequently of HCC is estimated to increase, becoming a major public health problem. The NAFLD-HCC shows several differences compared to other causes of chronic liver disease (CLD), including the higher percentage of patients that develop HCC in the absence of liver cirrhosis. In HCC surveillance, the international guidelines suggest a six months abdominal ultrasound (US), with or without alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) evaluation, in patients with cirrhosis and in a subgroup of patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. However, this screening program reveals several limitations, especially in NAFLD patients. Thus, new biomarkers and scores have been proposed to overcome the limits of HCC surveillance. In this narrative review we aimed to explore the differences in the HCC features between NAFLD and non-NAFLD patients, and those between NAFLD-HCC developed in the cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic liver. Finally, we focused on the limits of tumor surveillance in NAFLD patients, and we explored the new biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCC.

Genetic and biochemical studies of hepatic carcinoma in the Egyptian population

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a deadly malignancy of the liver, is considered the third leading reason behind cancer deaths. It is more frequent in men than in women of ages above 50. Liver disease, leading to liver cirrhosis (LC), is mostly caused by alcoholism abuse, reaction diseases of the liver, or viral hepatitis B or C infection. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is considered an effective pro-inflammatory cytokine, which plays a crucial role in the host defense mechanism. Its level is higher in HCC patients than in LC cases, indicating that tumor cells increase the production of cytokines. The X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) gene is a major DNA repair gene. It acts as a scaffold of various activities that are concerned in the repairing method by interacting with components of base excision repair. This study aims to measure the serum concentrations of IL6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) and investigate whether XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln polymorphisms are related to HCC disease.

Materials and Methods

Whole-blood DNA was extracted from 123 HCC patients and 123 healthy volunteers. Tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system was performed in the detection of XRCC1 Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp polymorphisms.

Results

Serum concentration levels of IL-6 and CRP are significantly higher in patients with HCC than in control subjects. The allelic and genotype frequency distributions of XRCC1 (Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp) are significantly increased in HCC cases compared to healthy volunteers.

Conclusion

Arg/Gln, Arg/Trp, Gln/Gln, and Trp/Trp genotypes are associated with higher risk HCC than the Arg/Arg genotype.

Evaluation of Alpha-fetoprotein Staging System for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Noncirrhotic Patients

The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging classification is commonly used for staging hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This system assumes the coexistence of cirrhosis; however, a significant proportion of patients with HCC present without cirrhosis. Recently, an alternative system was proposed that stratifies patients according to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level. The aim of this study was to apply the AFP staging system to noncirrhotic patients with HCC and evaluate its ability to predict overall survival (OS). A prospective hepatopancreatobiliary database was reviewed for all patients with a diagnosis of HCC. Patients were staged based on BCLC classification as well as by AFP stage according to four levels: less than 10 ng/mL, 10 to 150 ng/mL, 150 to 500 ng/mL, and greater than 500 ng/mL. Cirrhotic patients were compared with noncirrhotic patients in terms of patient demographics and HCC stage. Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis of OS was performed for noncirrhotic patients according to BCLC and AFP staging systems. Cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients differed significantly in terms of median age at presentation (64 vs 70 years, P < 0.001) and gender (76 vs 65% male, P = 0.006). BCLS staging classification did not distinguish between cirrhotics and noncirrhotics ( P = 0.733), whereas AFP staging demonstrated a significant difference between the two groups ( P < 0.0001). KM analysis of OS for noncirrhotic patients with HCC was significant for both the BCLC and the AFP staging systems ( P = 0.003 vs P < 0.0001, respectively). Patients presenting with HCC in the absence of cirrhosis appear to have different characteristics than patients with cirrhosis. Staging according to AFP level is an appropriate predictor of prognosis in noncirrhotic patients with HCC.

Diagnostic value of serum AFP alone or in combination with glypican 3, VEGF or IGF-II for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) alone or in combination with glypican 3 (GPC3), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS: Serum AFP, GPC3, VEGF and IGF-II were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 66 patients with histopathologically proven HCC and 16 cirrhotic patients. The cut-off level of AFP for diagnosis of HCC was 400 μg/L, while those of GPC3, VEGF and IGF-II were determined using ROC curve analysis.

RESULTS: The sensitivity of serum GPC3 for diagnosis of HCC was highest, followed by serum IGF-II , AFP and VEGF. The specificity of serum AFP for diagnosis of HCC was highest, followed by serum GPC3, VEGF and IGF-II. AFP in combination with GPC3 was most useful for diagnosis of HCC, especially early HCC. In AFP-negative HCC patients, the positive rate of GPC3 was 51.1%. In patients with early HCC (BCLC stage A), the positive rate of GPC3 was 50.0%.

CONCLUSION: Detection of serum AFP (≥400 μg/L) alone has its imitations in the diagnosis of HCC. AFP in combination with GPC3 is most useful for diagnosis of HCC, especially early HCC.