title: Annexin A2 as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma in Egyptian patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical utility of serum annexin A2 (ANXA2) as a diagnostic marker for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed in HCC Clinic of Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt and included: Group 1: Fifty patients with early stage HCC (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A); Group 2: Twenty five patients with chronic liver disease; and Control Group: Fifteen healthy, age- and sex-matched subjects who were seronegative for viral hepatitis markers. The following laboratory investigations were done: Viral hepatitis markers [hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies], HCV RNA in HCV antibody-positive patients, serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP), and serum ANXA2 levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, 88% of HCC patients (n= 44) were HCV-positive, while HBV infection represented only 8% of all HCC patients (n= 4); and two patients were negative for both viral markers. A highly significant difference was found between patients with HCC and chronic liver disease as well as controls with regard to serum ANXA2 levels (130, IQR 15-240; 15, IQR 15-17; and 17, IQR 15-30 ng/mL, respectively). The area under the curve of ANXA2 was 0.865; the cut-off value was established to be 18 ng/mL with a diagnostic sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 88%, while the sensitivity and specificity of AFP at the cut-off value of 200 ng/dL were 20% and 100%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum ANXA2 may serve as a biomarker for the early detection of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Shaker
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hanzada I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Abdel Fattah
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ghada S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Sabbour
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Iman F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Montasser
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Abdelhakam
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Eman
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: El Hadidy
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Rehab
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yousry
authors.affiliation: Mohamed K Shaker, Iman F Montasser, Sara M Abdelhakam, Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11341, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: El Dorry
keywords: Alpha-fetoprotein; Annexin A2; Hepatitis C virus; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Tumor markers