Hepatitis C virus infection is one of the health problems in human societies, but in Egypt there were successful HCV screening and treatment programs. HCC is considered the most difficult health concern, as it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in Egypt. Its incidence is rising globally, because of advancements in screening programs and diagnostic tools, increasing the survival rate of cirrhotic patients, which increases the risk of developing HCC. Thus, thorough surveillance of these at risk population is mandatory. Due to the moderate performances of current diagnostic tools, several new biomarkers were proposed.IL-22 marker belongs to interleukin-20 family. This family has both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties and might be increased in cancer process.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to assess the serum levels of Interleukin-22 in HCV induced liver cirrhosis as well as HCC patients.
Methods:
The study was conducted on 80 individuals from Alexandria Main University Hospital, Tropical Medicine Department; they were divided into four groups. The first three groups consisted of 60 patients each. Group I included 20 patients with HCV induced decompensated liver cirrhosis without HCC, group II included 20 patients with compensated liver cirrhosis while group III included 20 patients with HCC. Group IV consisted of 20 apparently healthy controls. Serum IL-22 was measured by ELISA.