Serum neopterin levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Increased concentrations of neopterin have been found in conditions causing a stimulation of cellular immunity, including various malignancies. In liver diseases, serum or urinary neopterin levels have been studied in acute viral hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, fatty liver and liver cirrhosis. In the present study neopterin serum levels have been measured in 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in 32 patients with liver cirrhosis, and in 28 healthy subjects as controls. Mean values of serum neopterin were significantly increased (p < 0.01) in patients with HCC (15.89 +/- 6.34 nmol/l) when compared with those of normal subjects (4.74 +/- 2.13 nmol/l), but no difference was observed between patients with HCC (associated or not with liver cirrhosis) and patients with liver cirrhosis. Neopterin concentrations are not affected by liver cirrhosis aetiology, nor by its clinical severity, and are not correlated to the values of serum alpha-fetoprotein, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl-transferase, and gamma-globulin. The results show that there is a consistent overlap of values in patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis; macrophage activation seems to be a feature of chronic liver diseases, irrespective of HCC development.