FibroMAX: towards a new universal biomarker of liver disease?
Among the noninvasive alternatives to liver biopsy, several studies have demonstrated the predictive value and a better benefit-to-risk ratio than biopsy of five combinations of simple serum biochemical markers (the super combination being FibroMAX (BioPredictive, Paris, France) in patients at risk of chronic liver diseases: FibroTest (BioPredictive) for the quantitative assessment of fibrosis; SteatoTest (BioPredictive) for the quantitative assessment of steatosis; ActiTest (BioPredictive) for the quantitative assessment of necroinflammatory activity in chronic viral hepatitis C and B; NashTest (BioPredictive) for the categorical diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; and AshTest for the quantitative assessment of alcoholic steatohepatitis (also known in the USA as HCV-FibroSURE, HBV-FibroSURE, ASH-FibroSURE and NASH-FibroSURE; LabCorp, NC, USA). The possible causes of false-negative and false-positive results are also better identified. These tests, which are now available in 50 countries, can facilitate the screening and management of the most frequent liver diseases.
Morra
Rachel
R
Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47-83 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75651 Paris Cedex 13, France. rachel.morra@free.fr
Munteanu
Mona
M
Imbert-Bismut
Françoise
F
Messous
Djamila
D
Ratziu
Vlad
V
Poynard
Thierry
T
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D006505:Hepatitis; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests
D015415:Biomarkers; D007202:Indicators and Reagents