Diagnostic value of gamma-glutamyltransferase/aspartate aminotransferase ratio, protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II, and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
Researchers have investigated the diagnostic value of protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA-II) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and obtained abundant clinical diagnostic data. However, PIVKA-II and AFP have unsatisfactory specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of early-stage HBV-related HCC. Gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are common biomarkers for evaluating liver function, and we hypothesized that the γ-GT/AST ratio in combination with PIVKA-II and AFP would improve the diagnosis of early-stage HBV-related HCC.
To evaluate the diagnostic value of γ-GT/AST ratio alone or in combination with PIVKA-II and AFP in HBV-related HCC.
Serum levels of γ-GT, AST, PIVKA-II, and AFP were detected and analysed in 176 patients with HBV-related HCC and in 359 patients with chronic hepatitis B. According to tumour size and serum level of HBV DNA, HBV-related HCC patients were divided into the following categories: Early-stage HCC patients, HCC patients, HBV DNA positive (HBV DNA+) HCC patients, and HBV DNA negative (HBV DNA-) HCC patients. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse and compare the diagnostic value of the single and combined detection of various biomarkers in different types of HBV-related HCC.
Tumour size was positively correlated with serum levels of PIVKA-II and AFP in HCC patients (r = 0.529, a P < 0.001 and r = 0.270, b P < 0.001, respectively), but there was no correlation between tumour size and the γ-GT/AST ratio (r = 0.073, P = 0.336). The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) of the γ-GT/AST ratio in early-stage HCC patients, HBV DNA+ HCC patients and HBV DNA- HCC patients were not significantly different from that in the total HCC patients (0.754, 0.802, and 0.705 vs 0.779, respectively; P > 0.05). When PIVKA-II was combined with the γ-GT/AST ratio in the diagnosis of early-stage HCC, HCC, and HBV DNA+ HCC, the AUROCs of PIVKA-II increased, with values of 0.857 vs 0.835, 0.925 vs 0.913, and 0.958 vs 0.954, respectively. When AFP was combined with the γ-GT/AST ratio in the diagnosis of early-stage HCC, HCC, HBV DNA+ HCC, and HBV DNA- HCC, the AUROCs of AFP increased, with values of 0.757 vs 0.621, 0.837 vs 0.744, 0.868 vs 0.757, and 0.840 vs 0.828, respectively.
The γ-GT/AST ratio may be better than PIVKA-II and AFP in the diagnosis of early-stage HBV-related HCC, and its combination with PIVKA-II and AFP can improve the diagnostic value for HBV-related HCC.
Wang Q
，Chen Q
，Zhang X
，Lu XL
，Du Q
，Zhu T
，Zhang GY
，Wang DS
，Fan QM
... -
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Combination of inflammatory score/liver function and AFP improves the diagnostic accuracy of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), routinely used for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is limited with relatively low sensitivity and high false positivity in HBV-related HCC (HBV-HCC). Thus, an alternative approach was explored to improve specificity/sensitivity for diagnosis of HBV-HCC, using the combination of AFP, inflammatory score, and liver function.
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) (n = 510) and HBV-HCC (n = 473) patients were identified retrospectively for this study. The diagnostic value of single vs combined biomarkers for HBV-HCC was analyzed, using ROC curve.
It was observed that elderliness, male sex, cirrhosis, HBeAg+ or no-antiviral therapy, and elevation of ALT, AST, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and AFP were associated with developing HBV-HCC. However, the cut-off ALT defined by Chinese standard, but not by AASLD, was a risk factor. Interestingly, AFP of HBeAg- HBV-HCC patients without cirrhosis was significantly higher than that of the HBeAg+ patients. AUC values for AFP, ALT, AST, or NLR were 0.84 (95% CI: 0.815-0.862), 0.533 (95% CI: 0.501-0.565), 0.696 (95% CI: 0.666-0.725), or 0.684 (95% CI: 0.654-0.713) with optimal cut-off at 7.21 ng/mL, 43 IU/mL, 38 IU/mL, or 2.61, respectively. Combination of AFP with ALT, AST, and NLR improved the diagnostic performance for HBV-HCC, compared to any of the single biomarkers or any other combinations among these patients (except no-cirrhosis).
Elderliness, male sex, elevated ALT, AST, NLR, AFP, cirrhosis, HBeAg+ , and no-antiviral treatment were independent risk factors for HBV-HCC. AASLD standard of ALT cut-off value may not be suitable for the Chinese population. Regular monitoring of HCC among HBeAg- patients with abnormal AFP may improve the management of HBV-HCC. The diagnostic performance of AFP combined with ALT, AST, and NLR for HBV-HCC was superior to single biomarker or any other combinations among these patients, and its diagnostic equation can be used as useful tool for differentiation of HBV-HCC from CHB.
Ding Y
，Liu K
，Xu Y
，Zhao Q
，Lou S
，Xiang X
，Yan L
，Cao Z
，Xie Q
，Zhu C
，Bao S
，Wang H
... -
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