The value of liver function tests in hepatocellular carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Oncology
• Clinical Chemistry

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary liver cancer.
• Liver function tests (LFTs) are commonly used in clinical practice.
• The diagnostic value of LFTs in HCC requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility of liver function tests (LFTs) in the investigation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
• To determine if LFTs provide a worthwhile purpose in diagnosing HCC.

Main Methods:

• Sera from 80 HCC patients, 76 benign liver disease (BLD) patients, and 152 healthy adults (HA) were analyzed.
• Assayed LFTs included alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, bilirubin, and albumin.
• Cut-off values for LFTs were established using data from the HA group.

Main Results:

• Approximately 90% of HCC patients exhibited abnormal levels of ALP, GGT, AST, and albumin.
• LFTs were more frequently abnormal in HCC compared to chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, excluding bilirubin.
• Elevated ALP with normal bilirubin was more common in HCC than BLD, but not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• LFTs, including ALP, GGT, and AST, are frequently abnormal in patients with HCC.
• Despite frequent abnormalities, LFTs appear to have limited diagnostic utility for investigating HCC.
• Further research may be needed to identify more specific biomarkers for HCC detection.