%0 Journal Article
%T Serum Levels of Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-10 as Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Egyptian Patients
%A Mohamed S. Othman
%A Ahmed M. Aref
%A Amal A. Mohamed
%A Wesam A. Ibrahim
%J ISRN Hepatology
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/412317
%X Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been reported to be related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 as biomarkers for HCC among high-risk patients. Materials and Methods. 80 individuals were enrolled in this study; they were categorized into 4 groups: group 1 healthy individuals (NC) ( ), group 2 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients ( ), group 3 cirrhotic patients (LC) ( ), and HCC group ( ). Using ELISA technique serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) were evaluated in all groups. Results. The mean serum levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in HCC than in LC, HCV, and NC groups ( , , , and ), respectively ( ); also the serum levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in HCC compared with LC, HCV, and NC groups ( , , , and ) ( ). We also found that the tumor size is correlated strongly with IL-6 and IL-10 levels ( , ; , ), respectively. Conclusion. The combination of those markers may help to identify a group of HCC patients with low AFP. 1. Introduction Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors, representing more than 5% of all cancers. The estimated annual number of cases exceeds 500,000, with a mean annual incidence of around 3-4%. In terms of relative frequencies, HCC ranks as the fifth most common cancer in the world; it is also the fifth among men and eighth among women; it is the second among cancers of the digestive tract after stomach cancer [1]. The main risk factors for HCC are hepatitis B virus (HBV), HCV, alcohol, aflatoxin, and possibly obesity and diabetes. Together, HBV and HCV account for 80% to 90% of all cases of HCC worldwide [2, 3]. Egypt has possibly the highest HCV prevalence in the world; 10%¨C20% of the general population is infected and HCV is the leading cause of HCC and chronic liver disease in the country. Approximately 90% of Egyptian HCV isolates belong to a single subtype, 4a, which responds less successfully to interferon therapy than other subtypes [4, 5]. The burden of HCC has been increasing in Egypt with a doubling in the incidence rate in the past 10 years [6]. The single most important tumor marker for HCC is AFP. HCC surveillance with serum AFP level and ultrasonography has been recommended for patients with cirrhosis. Although the detection of serum AFP level is well established in the screening and diagnostic purpose for HCC, a major shortcoming is that serum AFP is insensitive for the early cancer detection [7, 8]. In a prospective study by Marrero
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.hepatology/2013/412317/