Usefulness of AFP, PIVKA-II, and Their Combination in Diagnosing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Upconversion Luminescence Immunochromatography

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate the prognostic values of serum PIVKA-II (prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence–II) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) and the combination of these analytes for identifying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to analyze the correlation between biomarkers and clinicopathological features of HCC. Methods The levels of PIVKA-II and AFP in 331 case individuals were determined by upconverting phosphor technology-based immune lateral flow (UPT-LF) assay. We used the ROC curve to determine the diagnostic value; the relationships between the biomarkers and clinicopathological features of HCC also were analyzed. Results AFP and PIVKA-II have good diagnostic performance in the diagnosis of HCC; the best AUC was 0.76, 0.74. High levels of PIVKA-II were more advantageous than AFP in predicting tumor size, portal-vein embolism, and vascular invasion (all P <.05). Conclusion Levels of PIVKA-II and AFP showed good diagnostic value for HCC, but the level of PIVKA-II was more closely related to the clinicopathological features of HCC.