Alfa-Fetoprotein
Alfa-Fetoprotein
L3 Subfraction and Osteopontin: Novel Markers for the Diagnosis of
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Sawsan Said Hafez1,
Aziza Ahmed El Sebai1, Manal Mohamed Abd AL Aziz1 Manal
Abdel Baky Mahmoud1, Mohamed Omar El Maraghy1, Mohamed
Omar Khalifa 2 and Nevine Ibrahim Musa3
Departments of
Clinical Pathology1, Tropical Medicine2 and Internal
Medicine3, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University. [email protected]
Abstract: Objective: This study was designed to evaluate
the role of serum alpha-fetoprotein-L3 subfraction (AFP-L3) and osteopontin
(OPN) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular (HCC) and to consider their potential
role as a novel prognostic marker. Patients and Methods: 120
patients with different stages of HCC were included in addition to 140 subjects
with chronic liver diseases and 140 healthy control. Following clinical and
radiological investigations, serum assay of AFP, AFP-L3 and OPN were performed.Results: AFP,
AFP-L3 and OPN were significantly higher in HCC patients compared to chronic
liver disease patients and normal control. A significant correlation was found
between AFP and AFP-L3/AFP ratio among HCC patients. OPN varied significantly
among different HCC stages. The best cutoff points revealed 100% sensitivity
and 85% specificity for AFP-L3 and 100% for both sensitivity and specificity of
OPN. Conclusion: Higher levels of AFP-L3 and OPN in HCC patients
than controls propose them as potential markers for diagnosis of this disease.
OPN has additional prognostic value through its significant difference among
different HCC grades.
[Sawsan Said Hafez, Aziza Ahmed El Sebai, Manal
Mohamed Abd AL Aziz, Manal Abdel Baky Mahmoud, Mohamed Omar El Maraghy, Mohamed
Omar Khalifa and Nevine Ibrahim Musa. Alfa-Fetoprotein L3 Subfraction
and Osteopontin: Novel Markers for the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J
Am Sci 2013;9(3):322-328]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 56
Keywords: Alpha-fetoprotein-L3, osteopontin,
hepatocellular carcinoma, BCLC. Full Text 56
