Fibrinogen alpha and beta chains as non-invasive predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma progression

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a significant global health burden due to its high incidence and mortality rates. Early diagnosis is crucial for improving patient outcomes; however, current diagnostic methods, such as the measurement of α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, have notable limitations. Our study aimed to explore non-invasive markers with superior diagnostic efficacy for HCC. Our findings revealed a significant downregulation of FGA, FGB, and FGG in HCC, with lower expression levels strongly associated with reduced overall survival and disease-free survival rates. Notably, the diagnostic accuracies of FGA and FGB in detecting HCC, particularly in its early stages, surpassed that of AFP. ELISA results further confirmed the reduced serum levels of these proteins in HCC patients. In addition, a negative correlation was observed between fibrinogen expression and the abundance of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in HCC. FGA and FGB emerge as promising non-invasive biomarkers for HCC, offering improved diagnostic accuracy compared to AFP. Their consistent downregulation across different stages of HCC and their linkage to the tumor microenvironment underscore their potential role in HCC pathogenesis. These insights warrant further investigation and may contribute to the development of more effective diagnostic tools.