Clinicopathologic features of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma seropositive for alpha-fetoprotein-L3 and seronegative for des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin in comparison with those seropositive for des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin alone.

BACKGROUND

There has been no study of the clinicopathologic features of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are seropositive for lectin-reactive alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) alone, or seropositive for AFP-L3 and seronegative for des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) in comparison with those who are seropositive for DCP alone. Thus, the present comparative study was performed.

METHODS

The clinicopathologic features of HCC patients with either one or two tumors who underwent a hepatectomy (n = 88) were compared among the following five groups according to the seropositivity of AFP, AFP-L3 and DCP: (i) group A, seropositive for AFP above 100 ng/mL, AFP-L3 above 15% and DCP above 100 mAU/mL; (ii) group B, seropositive for AFP-L3 and seronegative for DCP below 40 mAU/mL; (iii) group C, seronegative for AFP below 20 ng/mL, AFP-L3 below 15% and seropositive for DCP; (iv) group D, seropositive for AFP and seronegative for AFP-L3 and DCP; and (v) group E, seronegative for AFP, AFP-L3 and DCP.

RESULTS

Group B patients showed a higher incidence of infiltrative-type HCC with an irregular margin (P < 0.05) and a higher frequency of poorly differentiated HCC (P < 0.01) compared with group C patients. Group A patients had larger tumors and more massive-type tumors than group B patients. Our HCC cases showed that advanced clinicopathologic features were demonstrated in the order of group B, group C and group D. Group A and B patients and group D and E patients showed similar characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatocellular carcinoma patients who were seropositive for AFP-L3 and seronegative for DCP demonstrated clinicopathologic features of more advanced HCC compared with those who were seropositive for DCP alone.