Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the seventh most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Globally, there are approximately 750000 new cases and 700000 deaths of HCC reported per annum.
Aim of the Study: To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum level of golgi protein 73 (GP73) as a tumor marker for HCC and its prognostic value after trans arterial chemo embolization (TACE) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA), in comparison to alpha-feto protein (AFP).
Patients and Methods: This study will be performed on 60 subjects from the outpatient Hepatology clinic and inpatient Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department at Ain Shams University Hospital. They will be classified into three groups: Group I: Fourty (40) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who will undergo either RFA or TACE, Group II: Ten (10) patients with liver cirrhosis without hepatocellular carcinoma, Group III: The control group composed of Ten (10) age and sex matched healthy subjects.
Results: In our study, there was a significant positive correlation between GP73 and AFP values with tumor number and size with p values of 0.001, GP73 levels decreased significantly in patients with HCC after intervention either by RFA or TACE with a p value 0.001
Conclusion: Plasma GP73 is a sensitive and specific serum marker for the diagnosis of HCC and we recommend combination of AFP and GP73 in screening and diagnosis of HCC. Also the marked significant reduction of serum GP73 levels in HCC patients subjected to either RF ablation and TACE proved that GP73 may play a prognostic marker in HCC management.