Breaking the AFP Barrier: CD166 as a Next-Generation Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Detection | ||||
| The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine | ||||
| Article 175, Volume 100, Issue 1, July 2025, Page 3768-3773 PDF (692.11 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejhm.2025.448851 | ||||
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| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of morbidity and death among cirrhotic patients. The ability of several biomarkers, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and CD166, to differentiate HCC from cirrhosis has been investigated. Aim of the work: The present case control study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of AFP, CD166, and their combination in differentiation of HCC and liver cirrhosis. Methods: A total of 120 persons divided into three equal groups: 1: cirrhotic only group, 2: cirrhotic and HCC group and 3: control healthy group. AFP and CD166 serum concentrations were assessed to all groups. Statistical measures like sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to assess the obtaining results. Results: Group 2 had a substantially higher mean age (63.2 years) than Groups 1 and 3 (59.5 and 58.0 years respectively). Group 2's AFP levels (mean: 2830.2 ng/ml) were significantly higher than those of Groups 1 (199.5 ng/ml) and 3(17.68 /ml) (p < 0.001). Likewise, Group 2 had greater CD166 levels (19.86 ng/ml) than Groups 1 (10.03 ng/ml) and 3(3.54 ng/ml) (p < 0.001). With an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.868, sensitivity of 87.5%, and specificity of 82.5%, the combination of AFP and CD166 demonstrated the best diagnostic accuracy, surpassing the performance of either marker alone. Conclusion: The combination of AFP and CD166 supports its promise as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for HCC by improving diagnostic accuracy in differentiating HCC from cirrhosis. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Hepatocellular carcinoma; Cirrhosis; Alpha-Fetoprotein; CD166; biomarkers; Diagnostic accuracy | ||||
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