Plasma Hpg80 (Circulating Progastrin) as a Novel Diagnostic Biomarker for Early and Intermediate Stages of HCC

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and the most common primary malignant tumour of the liver. It is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the world. It occurs most commonly on top of a cirrhotic liver due to chronic HCV infection. Aim of the Work to evaluate the diagnostic value of progastrin in patients with HCC at early and intermediate stages. Patients and Methods The study was conducted upon 80 subjects who were divided into three groups: group I included 30 patients with clinically diagnosed HCC at early stages (stage 0 and stage A by BCLC staging system), group II 30 patients with clinically diagnosed HCC at intermediate stage (stage B) and group III 20 apparently healthy subjects Results Our analysis showed that the mean levels of progastrin was higher in patients with HCC (group A and group B) compared with control group (759.330 ± 582.929) and 510.577± 255.168 vs 33.943 ± 14.692 ng/ml respectively) which was statistically significant (P-value less than 0.001). This strengthens our conclusion about the possibility of using progastrin as a novel biomarker for diagnosis of HCC. Conclusion Serum progastrin alone or in combination with AFP improves diagnostic evaluation of HCC patients. progastrin is easily detectable in the plasma and could be tested throughout the patient’s journey to potentially identify patients who may need a deeper biological assessment at an acceptable economic cost. Further ongoing studies will warrant that the evaluation.