Clinical value of fucosylated Golgi protein 73 in differential diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To investigate the clinical value of serum fucosylated Golgi protein 73 ( Fuc-GP73) in the differential diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma ( s HCC) with a low level of alpha-fetoprotein ( AFP) . Methods A total of 110 patients who were treated in Qinhuangdao First Hospital from April to December, 2014 were enrolled, and among these patients, 50 had s HCC with a low level of AFP ( s HCC group) , 20 had chronic hepatitis B ( CHB group) , 20 had liver cirrhosis ( LC group) , and 20 had malignant tumor in the digestive system except liver cancer ( MTDS group) . A total of 40 individuals who underwent physical examination in our hospital were enrolled as normal controls ( NC group) . Lectin affinity chromatography and ELISA were used to measure the serum level of Fuc-GP73. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the Nemenyi test was used for further comparison between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve was plotted to analyze the value of Fuc-GP73 in the diagnosis of s HCC. The logistic regression model was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the combined measurement of Fuc-GP73 and other markers. Results There was a significant difference in the level of Fuc-GP73 between groups ( H = 87. 225, P = 0. 001) , and the s HCC group had a significantly higher level than the other groups ( all P <0. 05) . The detection rate of Fuc-GP73 was 80% ( 40/50) in the s HCC group, 0 ( 0/20) in the CHB group, 20% ( 4/20) in the LC group, 5% ( 1/20) in the MTDS group, and 0 ( 0/40) in the NC group; there was a significant difference between groups ( χ2= 92. 143, P< 0. 01) , and the s HCC group had a significantly higher detection rate than the other groups ( all P < 0. 01) . In the diagnosis of s HCC, Fuc-GP73 had a sensitivity of 80. 0%, a specificity of 95. 0%, an accuracy rate of 90. 0%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0. 892, and the combined measurement of Fuc-GP73 and other markers had a sensitivity of 96. 0%, a specificity of 98. 0%, an accuracy rate of97. 3%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0. 991. Conclusion Fuc-GP73 can be used as a glycosylated tumor marker for s HCC and is better than AFP.