The Diagnostic Value of Serum Interlukin-6 Versus Alpha Fetoprotein As A Tumor Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Egyptian Patients
Shady Samir Abdel Hamid Ghait;
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and it is one of the major causes of death, because of its high frequency and poor prognosis. Hepatocellular carcinoma is now a rather common malignancy in Egypt which usually develops on top of liver cirrhosis secondary to viral infection, as hepatitis C viruses increased the risk of HCC in the Egyptian patients.
Early diagnosis of HCC can improve the prognosis of HCC patients. Many research groups are evaluating the sensitivity of available tumor markers and also are investigating the development of novel markers. The primary marker for HCC is alpha fetoprotein (AFP), a single polypeptide chain glycoprotein. Generally, AFP shows acceptable sensitivity; however, AFP is not secreted in all cases of HCC and may be normal in as many as 40% of patients with early HCC. In addition, the serum AFP level does not always correspond to the clinical stage of HCC. Thus, AFP appears to have limited utility as a screening test.
Therefore, the identification of alternative serum markers of HCC is needed. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an intriguing cytokine to be studied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a major health problem worldwide due to both its increasing frequency and its poor prognosis.
It is considered to be a hepatoprotective cytokine. It induces the hepatic acute phase response by modulating the transcription of several liver-specific genes during inflammation, and has a key role in the process of liver damage and carcinogenesis. IL-6 titers have been found to be four-fold higher in cancer than in cirrhotic patients and 25-fold higher than in healthy controls and therefore considered as a promising tumor marker for HCC.
It has been found to be more sensitive in identifying HCCs than AFP, which still remains the most commonly used marker for this cancer. It may help to identify a subset of HCC patients with low AFP level, and may serve as complementary tumor markers in these patients.
To address these issues, we examined whether serum IL-6 represented a useful diagnostic tool for HCC. We also examined whether, in combination with AFP, serum IL-6 improved the diagnostic accuracy of HCC.
Early diagnosis of HCC can improve the prognosis of HCC patients. Many research groups are evaluating the sensitivity of available tumor markers and also are investigating the development of novel markers. The primary marker for HCC is alpha fetoprotein (AFP), a single polypeptide chain glycoprotein. Generally, AFP shows acceptable sensitivity; however, AFP is not secreted in all cases of HCC and may be normal in as many as 40% of patients with early HCC. In addition, the serum AFP level does not always correspond to the clinical stage of HCC. Thus, AFP appears to have limited utility as a screening test.
Therefore, the identification of alternative serum markers of HCC is needed. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an intriguing cytokine to be studied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a major health problem worldwide due to both its increasing frequency and its poor prognosis.
It is considered to be a hepatoprotective cytokine. It induces the hepatic acute phase response by modulating the transcription of several liver-specific genes during inflammation, and has a key role in the process of liver damage and carcinogenesis. IL-6 titers have been found to be four-fold higher in cancer than in cirrhotic patients and 25-fold higher than in healthy controls and therefore considered as a promising tumor marker for HCC.
It has been found to be more sensitive in identifying HCCs than AFP, which still remains the most commonly used marker for this cancer. It may help to identify a subset of HCC patients with low AFP level, and may serve as complementary tumor markers in these patients.
To address these issues, we examined whether serum IL-6 represented a useful diagnostic tool for HCC. We also examined whether, in combination with AFP, serum IL-6 improved the diagnostic accuracy of HCC.
Other data
| Title | The Diagnostic Value of Serum Interlukin-6 Versus Alpha Fetoprotein As A Tumor Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Egyptian Patients | Other Titles | القيمة التشخيصية لانترلوكين 6 مقارنة بالألفافيتو بروتين كدلالة لسرطان الكبد الأولى في المرضى المصريين | Authors | Shady Samir Abdel Hamid Ghait | Issue Date | 2015 |
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