Serum Hepatocyte growth factor level as a biomarker for hepatitis C virus related hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aim Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and early detection can improve the prognosis, in this study, we aimed to investigate hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) as a biomarker for the detection of HCC post hepatitis C liver cirrhosis. Patients and methods In this study, we measured serum HGF and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for 106 persons who were divided into three groups HCC group (36 patients), cirrhotic group (40 patients who had post hepatitis C virus liver cirrhosis), and control group (30). Results HGF levels were significantly higher in HCC than Cirrhotic group and control group. Also, HGF can diagnose HCC with sensitivity and specificity of 96.9% and 98.2% at levels more than 426 pg/ml compared with sensitivity and specificity of AFP which was 95% and 90% at 9.9 ng/ml. Conclusion HGF may be a crucial marker for predicting HCC in the early stages compared with AFP. Keywords: Alpha-fetoprotein, hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatocyte growth factor