title: Postoperative serum osteopontin level is a novel monitor for treatment response and tumor recurrence after resection of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Presurgery serum osteopontin (OPN) level has been demonstrated to correlate to tumor recurrence and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. This study investigated the postoperative dynamic changes of serum OPN level and its clinical significance in HCC patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Presurgery serum OPN levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in cohort A of 179 HCC patients and were compared with the multiple controls including different kinds of liver diseases and healthy individuals. In cohort B of 110 patients with resectable HCCs, besides preoperative assays, serum OPN was monitored at 1 week, 1, and ≥2 months after operation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The baseline presurgery serum OPN of HCC patients was significantly higher than that of the patients with the other kinds of liver diseases (p < 0.0001). The prognostic values of presurgery serum OPN level in HCC patients were further confirmed. The postsurgery OPN levels were significantly elevated within 1 week after HCC resection, then decreased at 1 month and reached the nadir later than 2 months after operations. It increased again at the time of tumor recurrence, then declined after the second removal of recurrent HCCs. Moreover, postoperative OPN in α-fetoprotein-negative and -positive HCC patients had the same changing pattern; it only correlated to liver function and C-reactive protein level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After a transient fluctuation, serum OPN levels significantly decrease after curative resection of HCCs. Postoperative serum OPN could serve as a surrogate serologic biomarker for monitoring treatment response and tumor recurrence after HCC resection, including α-fetoprotein-negative ones.
authors.affiliation: Liver Cancer Institute and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Hai-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xiao-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Qing-Hai
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-Tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qiong-Zhu
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Hu-Liang
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Wen-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Dong-Mei
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Lun-Xiu
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000097:blood*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D053495:Osteopontin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein