BACKGROUND: Tumor markers in the early detection of tumors are promising tools that could improve the control and treatment of tumors. While alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a commonly used tumor marker in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its sensitivity and specificity are insufficient to detect HCC in all patient samples. METHODS: We compared AFP with serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF and VEGF-A), insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-II), and the activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU) in the sensitivity of detection of HCC and cirrhosis in Egyptian patients. RESULTS: The sensitivity of tumor detection using AFP was 68.2%. This level of detection was increased to 88.6% when AFP was evaluated in conjunction with AFU. The combined use of AFP and VEGF increased the sensitivity of detection to 95.5% in patients with HCC. The combination of the three markers yielded 100% detection sensitivity. VEGF-A showed a low specificity (20%), and IGF-II showed extremely low sensitivity (4.5%). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that AFU or VEGF or both be measured with AFP to improve the detection sensitivity of HCC.
BACKGROUND:Tumor markers in the early detection of tumors are promising tools that could improve the control and treatment of tumors. While alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a commonly used tumor marker in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its sensitivity and specificity are insufficient to detect HCC in all patient samples. METHODS: We compared AFP with serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF and VEGF-A), insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-II), and the activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU) in the sensitivity of detection of HCC and cirrhosis in Egyptian patients. RESULTS: The sensitivity of tumor detection using AFP was 68.2%. This level of detection was increased to 88.6% when AFP was evaluated in conjunction with AFU. The combined use of AFP and VEGF increased the sensitivity of detection to 95.5% in patients with HCC. The combination of the three markers yielded 100% detection sensitivity. VEGF-A showed a low specificity (20%), and IGF-II showed extremely low sensitivity (4.5%). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that AFU or VEGF or both be measured with AFP to improve the detection sensitivity of HCC.
Authors: Greg Tesch; Shashi Amur; John T Schousboe; Jeffrey N Siegel; Lawrence J Lesko; Jane P F Bai Journal: AAPS J Date: 2010-03-16 Impact factor: 4.009
Authors: Rajan B Patel; Natvar R Gupta; Nitin C Vasava; Janak R Khambholja; Sanjay Chauhan; Amit Desai Journal: Indian J Surg Date: 2012-10-10 Impact factor: 0.656
Authors: Roniel Cabrera; Asem I Fitian; Miguel Ararat; Yiling Xu; Todd Brusko; Clive Wasserfall; Mark A Atkinson; Chen Liu; David R Nelson Journal: Oncol Lett Date: 2012-07-26 Impact factor: 2.967
Authors: Amal Saad-Hussein; Mona M Taha; Safia Beshir; Eman M Shahy; Weam Shaheen; Mohamed Elhamshary Journal: Int J Occup Environ Health Date: 2014 Jul-Sep
Authors: Sherif El-Saadany; Taher El-Demerdash; Amal Helmy; Wael Wahid Mayah; Boshra El-Sayed Hussein; Mohammed Hassanien; Nehal Elmashad; Mahmoud Ali Fouad; Eman Ahmed Basha Journal: Asian Pac J Cancer Prev Date: 2018-03-27