SERUM SOLUBLE CD25 IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA, SHALL WE BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE NATURAL HISTORY?

Background . Although hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancy related mortality worldwide, it can be curable if detected in early stages. Emergence of a new marker that can early detect HCC could help in early treatment and therefore ameliorate the outcome. Objective. The aim of the research is to evaluate the performance of serum soluble CD25 (sCD25) in the prediction of early HCC and compare it to α-fetoprotein (AFP). Methods. Serum levels of sCD25 and AFP were measured in three groups of population; HCC group (40 patients), cirrhosis without HCC control group (20 patients) and healthy control group (20 patients). HCC group contained 20 early and 20 late stage patients according to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system (stage 0/A and B-D respectively). Levels of both biomarkers were compared in all groups. Predictive yield of both biomarkers for early HCC was evaluated using ROC curve analysis. Results. Level of sCD25 was significantly higher in patients with HCC than in both cirrhotic controls and healthy controls (Pu003c0.0001and 0.013 respectively). For prediction of early HCC in patients with cirrhosis, the optimal sCD25 cut-off level was 7.15 ng/ml with sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 60% respectively (AUC=0.717; P=0.019) while sensitivity and specificity of AFP were 70% and 85% respectively at a cut-off value of 9.85 ng/ml (AUC=0.781; P=0.002) in the same settings. Conclusion. sCD25 seems to be a reliable biomarker for early detection of HCC and therefore could enhance the outcome.