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Value of Highly Sensitive Fucosylated Fraction of Alpha-Fetoprotein for Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Curative Treatment

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Abstract

Background

The fucosylated fraction of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) has been used as a diagnostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, a highly sensitive immunoassay using an on-chip electrokinetic reaction and separation by affinity electrophoresis (micro-total analysis system; μTAS) has been developed.

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between changes in the serum AFP-L3 level measured by μTAS assay and recurrence of HCC after curative treatment.

Methods

A total of 414 HCC patients who met the Milan criteria and underwent hepatectomy or radiofrequency ablation were investigated prospectively for the relationship between HCC recurrence and values of tumor markers.

Results

There were significant differences in recurrence-free survival between groups with and without AFP-L3 elevation measured before and after treatment (p = 0.024 and p = 0.001 for before and after treatment, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that AFP-L3 status (p = 0.002) measured 1 month after treatment was a significant independent predictor of HCC recurrence after curative treatment.

Conclusions

Elevation of the serum AFP-L3 level before treatment is a predictor of HCC recurrence, and sustained elevation of the AFP-L3 level after treatment is an indicator of HCC recurrence. Repeated measurement of μTAS AFP-L3 should be performed for surveillance of HCC recurrence after curative treatment.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid (20390205), Japan Society for the Promotion Science and a Grant-in-Aid from Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 757 Asahimachi Dori-1-Bancho, Chuo-ku, Niigata, 951-8520, Japan

    Yasushi Tamura, Takeshi Suda & Yutaka Aoyagi

  2. Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

    Shigeki Arii

  3. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan

    Michio Sata

  4. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Fuminori Moriyasu

  5. Department of Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroshi Imamura & Seiji Kawasaki

  6. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Namiki Izumi

  7. Department of Digestive Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Tadatoshi Takayama

  8. Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Artificial Organ and Transplantation Division, Department of Surgery, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Norihiro Kokudo

  9. Department of Surgery, Institute of Gastroenterology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Masakazu Yamamoto

  10. Ultrasound Imaging Center, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan

    Hiroko Iijima

Authors
  1. Yasushi Tamura
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  2. Takeshi Suda
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  3. Shigeki Arii
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  4. Michio Sata
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  5. Fuminori Moriyasu
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  8. Namiki Izumi
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  9. Tadatoshi Takayama
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  13. Yutaka Aoyagi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yasushi Tamura.

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Tamura, Y., Suda, T., Arii, S. et al. Value of Highly Sensitive Fucosylated Fraction of Alpha-Fetoprotein for Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Curative Treatment. Dig Dis Sci 58, 2406–2412 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2661-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2661-6

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