The role of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin levels in hepatocellular carcinoma and liver tissues.

We aimed to clarify the clinical significance of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) levels in both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver tissues with a special reference to the relationship between DCP level in non-cancerous parts of the liver and the multicentric occurrence of HCC. Twenty-eight patients with HCC, who underwent hepatectomy, were studied. Surgical specimens were obtained from both HCC and non-cancerous liver of each patient. After the preparation of the liver tissues, including tissues with HCC, the DCP levels both in HCC and non-cancerous liver tissue were measured using an electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay. The correlation was investigated between DCP levels and other clinicopathological factors. The DCP level of HCC ranged from 55 to 77735 U/0.1 g tissue weight, with a median of 2801, while the DCP level of non-cancerous parts of the liver ranged from 24 to 721 U/0.1 g tissue weight, with a median of 86. The DCP level in the liver tissue in patients having a multicentric occurrence of HCC was significantly higher than that in patients without multicentric occurrence of HCC. The logarithm of the plasma DCP level correlated with that of the DCP level in HCC (correlation coefficient =0.46; P<0.05). No significant correlation was found between the DCP level in HCC and other clinicopathological parameters. The DCP level in non-cancerous parts of the liver with simultaneous multicentric occurrence of HCC was significantly higher than that in the liver without multicentric HCC. Furthermore, the DCP level in non-cancerous parts of the liver was one of the most important predictable factors of the multicentric occurrence of HCCs among various clinicopathological factors. Therefore, the DCP level may have an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis.