What are the early indications of HCC?
Symptoms
- Pain in the upper right part of your belly.
- A lump or feeling of heaviness in your upper belly.
- Bloating or swelling in your belly.
- Loss of appetite and feelings of fullness.
- Weight loss.
- Weakness or deep fatigue.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Yellow skin and eyes.
Should AFP or any biomarkers be used for HCC surveillance?
AFP is the most commonly studied biomarker for HCC, with the available studies including a phase 5 biomarker trial assessing the impact of AFP on survival of patients with HCC [1]. In general, AFP level is positively associated with tumor size, restricting its utility in detecting smaller HCC tumors.
What markers are used to identify hepatocellular carcinoma?
Serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) is the most widely used tumor marker in detecting patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and has been proven to have capability of prefiguring the prognosis.
What is the best laboratory test to diagnose HCC?
In general, AFP is still one of the most widely used tests for the diagnosis of HCC, and it is still the most sensitive biomarker test.
Can early HCC be cured?
Since HCC usually grows slowly in its early stages, it can often be cured if discovered early enough.
Where does hepatocellular carcinoma start?
Liver cancer begins in the cells of the liver. The most common form of liver cancer begins in cells called hepatocytes and is called hepatocellular carcinoma.
Is AFP elevated in HCC?
Normal AFP levels are present in as many as 30% of patients at time of diagnosis and usually remain low, even with advanced HCC 39. AFP >400–500 ng/ml is considered diagnostic for HCC, although fewer than half of patients may generate levels that high 39.
Why is AFP high in HCC?
AFP levels may be elevated because of production by the tumor or by regenerating hepatocytes. Therefore, AFP levels are also frequently elevated in chronic active hepatitis C (levels of 200-300 ng/mL are not uncommon), but in those patients the levels tend to fluctuate and do not progressively increase.
What do Tumour markers indicate?
A tumor marker is anything present in or produced by cancer cells or other cells of the body in response to cancer or certain benign (noncancerous) conditions that provides information about a cancer, such as how aggressive it is, what kind of treatment it may respond to, or whether it is responding to treatment.
Which is the most useful tumor marker for pancreatic carcinoma?
The most widely used and best validated marker for pancreatic cancer is CA 19-9. Inadequate sensitivity and specificity limit the use of CA 19-9 in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
How do you confirm HCC?
Tests and procedures used to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma include:
- Blood tests to measure liver function.
- Imaging tests, such as CT and MRI.
- Liver biopsy, in some cases, to remove a sample of liver tissue for laboratory testing.
What is the marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)?
GP73, a resident Golgi glycoprotein, is a novel serum marker for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Hepatol. 2005;43:1007–1012.
How is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed?
However, early diagnosis of HCC is complicated by the coexistence of inflammation and cirrhosis. Thus, novel biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCC are required. Currently, the diagnosis of HCC without pathological correlation is achieved by analyzing serum α-fetoprotein levels combined with imaging techniques.
Do risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma impair the performance of biomarkers?
Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma may impair the performance of biomarkers: a comparison of AFP, DCP, and AFP-L3. Cancer Biomark. 2007;3:79–87.
