Detection of MAGE-4 protein in the sera of patients with hepatitis-C virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis.

The aim of this study was to determine whether MAGE-4 protein is detectable in sera of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and other liver diseases. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed for detection of MAGE-4 protein in sera of liver disease patients, healthy men and women (control I) and those undergoing prostatic cancer screening (control II). MAGE-4 protein levels in sera of patients with hepatitis C virus-associated HCC (HCC-C) (n = 45, mean = 2.160 ng/ml) and HCV-associated cirrhosis (LC-C) (n = 55, 1.072 ng/ml) were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than those of control I (0.327 ng/ml) or control II (0.394 ng/ml). MAGE-4 protein was positive in 21/45 (46.7%) HCC-C patients and 18/55 (32.7%) LC-C patients (cut-off, mean plus 2 SD in healthy controls) but in 0/12 (0%) hepatitis B virus-associated HCC (HCC-B) patients, 3/49 (6.1%) hepatitis B virus-associated LC (LC-B) patients, 4/47 (8.5%) alcoholic liver disease patients, and 1/49 (2.0%) controls. Serum MAGE-4 protein level may be useful as a marker for identification of LC-C patients suffering from HCC that is undetectable by presently available methods.