title: Serum fucosylated haptoglobin in chronic liver diseases as a potential biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma development.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fucosylation is one of the most important glycosylation events involved in cancer and inflammation. We previously developed a lectin antibody ELISA kit to measure fucosylated haptoglobin (Fuc-Hpt), which we identified as a novel cancer biomarker. In this study, we investigated Fuc-Hpt as a biomarker in chronic liver diseases, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured serum Fuc-Hpt levels using our ELISA kit in 318 patients with chronic liver diseases, including 145 chronic hepatitis (CH) patients, 81 liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, and 92 HCC patients. During a long-term follow-up period of 7 years (1996-2003), Fuc-Hpt levels were measured at three different time points in 19 HCC patients. Serum Fuc-Hpt levels were also examined with a short-term follow-up period of 3 years (2009-2012) in 13 HCC patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fuc-Hpt levels increased with liver disease progression. Patients with LC and HCC showed significantly increased Fuc-Hpt levels in comparison to CH patients or healthy volunteers. Fuc-Hpt levels tended to be higher in HCC patients than in LC patients. Fuc-Hpt was better than α-fetoprotein (AFP) and AFP-L3 for predicting HCC [diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound] in LC patients with long-term follow-up. More than 80% of LC patients with long-term follow-up showed increased Fuc-Hpt during hepatocarcinogenesis, and 38% of early-stage HCC patients with short-term follow-up showed a gradual increase in Fuc-Hpt before imaging diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that Fuc-Hpt is a novel and potentially useful biomarker for predicting liver disease progression and HCC development.
authors: Hitomi
authors: H
authors: Asazawa
authors: Yoshihiro
authors: Y
authors: Kamada
authors: Yuri
authors: Y
authors: Takeda
authors: Shinji
authors: S
authors: Takamatsu
authors: Shinichiro
authors: S
authors: Shinzaki
authors: Youkoku
authors: Y
authors: Kim
authors: Riichiro
authors: R
authors: Nezu
authors: Noriyoshi
authors: N
authors: Kuzushita
authors: Eiji
authors: E
authors: Mita
authors: Michio
authors: M
authors: Kato
authors: Eiji
authors: E
authors: Miyoshi
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005643:Fucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006242:Haptoglobins; D005643:Fucose