BACKGROUND: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor that is common China. Early diagnosis is of great significance for improving treatment efficiency. GPC3 level is closely related to HCC occurrence. This study investigated GPC3 expression in HCC patient serum and tissue, and assessed the significance of GPC3 combined AFP detection in HCC diagnosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 76 HCC patients in our hospital were enrolled. Immunohistochemistry was applied to test GPC3 expression in cancer tissue and para-carcinoma tissue. ELISA and RT-PCR were used to detect GPC3 and AFP level in serum. The significance of GPC3 single or combined AFP detection in HCC diagnosis was analyzed.

RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry showed that the GPC3 positive expression rate was obviously elevated in HCC tissue (P<0.01). Combination detection of AFP and GPC3 presented significantly higher sensitivity and specificity in HCC than single AFP or GPC3 detection. ELISA showed no significant difference in sensitivity, specificity, or accuracy compared with RT-PCR.

CONCLUSIONS: Serum GPC3 was overexpressed in HCC patients. Combination detection of serum AFP and GPC3 can enhance accuracy and efficacy of HCC diagnosis.

Keywords: Antifreeze Proteins, Type II, Antifreeze Proteins, Type III, Genes, rev, Headache Disorders, Primary, MART-1 Antigen