title: Changes of serum alpha-fetoprotein and alpha-fetoprotein-L3 after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: prognostic significance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the most established tumor marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but one of its limitations is non-specificity. Many studies have demonstrated that alpha-fetoprotein-L3 (AFP-L3) is more specific than AFP in the early diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the post-hepatectomy profiles of serum AFP and AFP-L3 values in HCC patients. To identify the profiles after surgical resection of HCC, we analyzed the correlation between the profiles and postoperative HCC recurrence or survival, and evaluated their utility in predicting postoperative therapeutic efficacy and prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  From August 2003 to December 2004, 318 patients with positive serum AFP who had received surgical resections were enrolled in this study. Preoperative and postoperative serum AFP and AFP-L3 levels were measured simultaneously and regularly, and their postoperative profiles during a long-term follow-up were recorded and summarized.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A high ratio of AFP-L3 to total AFP was shown to correlate with pathologic features of aggressiveness. The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence rates of the whole series were 28%, 57%, and 84%, and the overall survival rates were 86%, 61%, and 33%, respectively. The changes of serum AFP and AFP-L3 after hepatectomy for HCC were classified into 3 groups (group A: AFP-L3 undetectable; group B: AFP-L3 <10%; and group C: AFP-L3 >10%). Patients with positive postoperative AFP-L3 had significantly earlier recurrence than those with negative results. The overall survival was significantly shorter in the positive groups than in the groups negative for postoperative AFP-L3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Post-hepatectomy changes in serum AFP and AFP-L3 levels occurred in three distinct patterns, which were closely correlated with HCC recurrence and patient survival with different prognostic values.
authors.affiliation: The 4th Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zheng-Feng
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Kui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zong-Qin
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hai-Hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Le-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins