title: Plasma osteopontin level as a diagnostic marker of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with radiological evidence of focal hepatic lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most aggressive malignant tumors and has limited treatment options. Needle-guided biopsies have been utilized as a tool to diagnose malignant focal hepatic lesions. These techniques are discouraged because of their complications. Nowadays, alpha fetoprotein is the most widely used tumor marker for screening and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Nevertheless, this marker has limitations. The diagnostic role of plasma osteopontin as an adjuvant or alternative marker to alpha fetoprotein to detect hepatocellular carcinoma in Egyptian patients with focal hepatic lesions was evaluated in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty participants were recruited from the Egyptian National Liver Institute and were self-assigned to three groups, namely, focal hepatic lesions (n = 40), liver cirrhosis (n = 20), and controls (n = 20). Participants' plasma osteopontin and serum alpha fetoprotein levels were determined and were compared across the three groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The discriminatory ability of plasma osteopontin for hepatocellular carcinoma was lower than that of alpha fetoprotein. Osteopontin and alpha fetoprotein were not correlated with each other. Neither the gender nor the age of the patients showed a significant association with plasma osteopontin level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measuring plasma osteopontin level alone has no advantage over serum alpha fetoprotein in patients with focal hepatic lesions due to chronic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, National Liver Institute, Menoufiya University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt. ashraf.khalil@virginia.edu
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.forename: Jamalat
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elgedawy
authors.forename: Mohammed F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Faramawi
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elfert
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Salama
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbass
authors.forename: Hala
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elsaid
authors.forename: Hatem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elsebaai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011859:Radiography; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014421:Turkey; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D053495:Osteopontin