Aim: This study aimed to evaluate if clinical or radiographic findings can be used for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis particularly in high-risk patients. Methods: This was a prospective study and evaluated factors associated with HCC. Results: There were 260 patients met the study criteria: 219 patients (84.23%) were HCC. Two factors significantly associated with HCC: portal vein invasion and the largest mass size. The cutoff point for the largest mass size of 2 cm or over gave sensitivity and specificity for HCC of 83.56 and 87.80%, respectively. Conclusion: Portal vein invasion and the largest liver mass of 2 cm or over may be diagnostic factors for HCC in high-risk patients, while clinical factors were not suggestive for HCC.
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal cancer. Two biomarkers were used for HCC diagnosis including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by vitamin K absence-II or antagonist (PIVKA-II). However, data on biomarkers and HCC diagnosis are not consistent. This study aimed to evaluate if PIVKA-II, AFP, or a combination of both biomarkers had the best diagnostic properties for HCC. Methods: This was a prospective study and enrolled patients 18 years or over with a high risk for HCC. AFP and PIVKA-II levels were calculated for HCC diagnosis. Diagnostic properties of both biomarkers were reported with sensitivity, specificity, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: There were 260 patients with high risk for HCC in this cohort. Of those, 219 patients were diagnosed with HCC: confirmed by biopsy in 7 patients (2.69%) and by imaging in the others. Median values of AFP and PIVKA-II were 56 ng/mL and 348 mAU/mL, respectively. PIVKA-II level of 40 mAU/mL had sensitivity of 80.80%, while AFP of 10 ng/mL had sensitivity of 75.80%. A combination of PIVKA-II at 100 mAU/mL or over and AFP of 11 ng/mL gave sensitivity of 60.30%. The ROC curve of PIVKA-II plus AFP was significantly higher than the AFP alone (0.855 vs. 0.796; p = 0.027), but not significantly different from the PIVKA-II alone (0.855 vs. 0.832; p = 0.130). Conclusion: PIVKA-II may have more diagnostic yield for HCC compared with AFP. It can be used alone without a combination with AFP.
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.