title: Development of a novel score for liver fibrosis staging and comparison with eight simple laboratory scores in large numbers of HCV-monoinfected patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to develop and evaluate a predictive score named Fibrosis Routine Test (FRT) for liver fibrosis staging and to compare FRT with APRI, Lok, GUCI, FI, FibroQ, FCI, FIB-4 and 4RLB scores in large numbers of untreated HCV-monoinfected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Large numbers of estimation (N=2045) and validation patients (N=3212) were included in this study. Stepwise linear discriminant analysis and area under receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were used to create a predictive score comprising age, AFP, APRI and albumin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the estimation study, FRT produced AUCs 0.84, 0.85 and 0.86 for significant (F2-F4), advanced fibrosis (F3-F4) and cirrhosis (F4), respectively. FRT > 4 was 83% specific and 73% sensitive for F2-F4, FRT > 5 was 83% specific and 71% sensitive for F3-F4 and FRT > 5.5 was 81% specific and 73% sensitive for F4. In the validation study, FRT produced AUCs 0.81, 0.89 and 0.95 for F2-F4, F3-F4 and F4, respectively. The above eight scores demonstrated lower AUCs than FRT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While liver biopsy is invasive, costly and associated with complications, Fibrosis Routine Test (FRT) is a non-invasive, inexpensive, simple and may reduce the need of liver biopsy.
authors: Research & Development Department, Biotechnology Research Center, New Damietta City, Egypt. amattallah@hotmail.com
authors: Abdelfattah M
authors: AM
authors: Attallah
authors: Mohamed M
authors: MM
authors: Omran
authors: Khaled
authors: K
authors: Farid
authors: Mahmoud
authors: M
authors: El-Bendary
authors: Tarek M
authors: TM
authors: Emran
authors: Mohamed S
authors: MS
authors: Albannan
authors: Ibrahim
authors: I
authors: El-Dosoky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019540:Area Under Curve; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006652:Histological Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged