Backgroundand study aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, coming 4th in most common cancers, and 2nd in cancer-related mortality in Egypt. HCC biomarkers help in case screening, diagnosis, and follow-up. This study aims at evaluating the diagnostic value of plasma osteopontin (OPN) compared to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for diagnosing HCC in Egyptian patients.Patients and Methods: 120 subjects in Alrajhi Liver Hospital, Assiut University were included (60 HCC, 30 liver cirrhosis, and 30 healthy individuals). Plasma OPN and AFP levels were evaluated using commercially available ELISA kits. Uncontrolled diabetic and hypertensive patients, patients with other tumors than HCC or those receiving HCC treatments were excluded.. Results: OPN plasma levels were higher in HCC group compared to cirrhotic and control groups respectively (200 vs. 77.5 vs. 25.5 ng/ml, p<0.05). Tumors >5cm in diameter resulted in significantly higher plasma OPN compared to tumors <5cm (p<0.05). Child-Pugh score, multiple tumors, or lymph nodes didn't significantly affect OPN levels in HCC group (p>0.05). Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of OPN for HCC vs Cirrhotic group were superior to AFP (97%, 70%, and 84% at cut-off value 90 ng/mL for OPN vs 90%, 63% and 77% at cut-off value 5.5 ng/ml for AFP). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) value for OPN was higher than AUC value for AFP (0.923 vs. 0.902). Conclusion:Serum OPN had better diagnostic ability for detecting HCC compared to AFP, suggesting OPN as a promising diagnostic marker for HCC at normal AFP levels.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.