EVALUATION OF ALPHA ONE ACID GLYCOPROTEIN IN COMBINATION WITH GLYPICAN-3 AS NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC MARKERS FOR HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Abstract

H epatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the world.Until recently; alpha feto protein (AFP) has been the most widely used plasma marker for diagnosis, surveillance and as a prognostic indicator of HCC patients’ survival. Several tumor markers have been proposed as complement or substitute for AFP in HCC diagnosis. Recently, lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3) and des gamma carboxy prothrombin have been approved by the FDA as plasma markers for HCC. AFP-L3 can be detected in the plasma of patients with small tumors. Another potential biomarker for HCC is alpha one acid glycoprotein (AGP).it is an acute phase protein, synthesized predominantly in the liver. Also Glypican 3 (GPC3) is one of the cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans that bind to the cell membrane via glycosil phosphatidyl inositol anchors. While studies on ovarian cancer cell lines, mesotheliomas, and breast tumors have demonstrated the down regulation of GPC3, other investigations on hepatocellular carcinoma have shown a marked elevation of GPC3 mRNA over the level observed in corresponding normal tissues.