Prognostic and diagnostic value of des-γ-carboxy prothrombin in liver cancer

Des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) is an abnormal prothrombin induced by the absence of vitamin K₂ that is increased in the serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In hepatoma cells, genetic alterations, membrane receptors, the inability to uptake labeled low-density lipoprotein, cytoskeletal changes and hepatocyte cytoplasmic transfers involved in vitamin K metabolism could play an important role in producing detectable DCP serum levels. Serum DCP was found to have a sensitivity ranging from 48% to 62%, a specificity of 81% to 98% and a diagnostic accuracy of 59% to 84% for detecting HCC. Plasma DCP does not correlate with α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. However, when used together, the DCP and AFP assays increase the sensitivity of detecting HCC in more than 85% of patients. The specificity of the DCP assay appears to be superior to that of AFP. These biomarkers can complement ultrasound for early HCC detection, but neither DCP nor AFP is optimal. For small HCC, a high preoperative DCP level appears to be indicative of tumor recurrence. Recently, there has been attention given to DCP because of its role in detecting HCC recurrence after living donor liver transplant. More recent research has demonstrated that DCP stimulates human vascular endothelial cell growth and migration. All the data presented above demonstrate the importance of DCP in formulating a prognosis for patients with HCC.