Fibrofast and fibrosis-4 versus fibroscan as indicators of hepatic fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients: A cross sectional Study

Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a broad category for a disease spectrum that includes simple steatosis, which can proceed to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and, finally, hepatocellular carcinoma. Owing to the invasive nature of liver biopsy, the need for non-invasive tools were required for diagnosis. Objective: To compare the performance of simple biochemical scores (fibroblast) FIB-5 and (fibrosis-4) FIB-4 with fibroscan to differentiate mild to moderate fibrosis (MF; F0 to F2) from advanced fibrosis (AF; F3 to F4) in patients with NAFLD. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 116 NAFLD patients. All patients were scanned with the FibroScan examination. FIB-5 and FIB-4 were calculated for all patients. Results: The mean kPa score (liver stiffness measurement score) of the patients belonging to advanced fibrosis [9.53 ± 1.05]. The FIB-4 score was significantly higher in patients with advanced fibrosis (1.54 ± 0.38) compared with patients with mild to moderate fibrosis (1.18 ± 0.44), p-value = 0.001, whereas the FIB-5 score was insignificant between patients. Conclusion: FIB-4 is superior to FIB-5 as a non-invasive simple marker in diagnosing advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients.

Diagnostic Value of Glypican-3 for Hepatocellular Carcinomas

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and dangerous malignancy in many parts of the world, and especially in Egypt. Early diagnosis is the most important step in successful HCC management. However most cases are detected at late stage making effective intervention impossible. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of Glypican-3 (GPC-3) to aid in diagnosis of HCC, especially in patients with low serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Subjects and methods: Serum GPC-3 was assessed by flow-cytometry and serum AFP by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 40 HCC patients with AFP< 400ug\l. (GI), 40 HCC patients with AFP> 400ug\l. (GII) and 20 healthy controls (GIII). Results: GPC-3 was found to be significantly elevated in HCC as compared to healthy subjects (GI 38.2±22. 5, GII 50.2±22.6, and GIII 2.24±1.19), with sensitivities of 85% for GI and 84% for GII and specificities of 95% for GI and 92% for GII. AFP showed respective sensitivities of 50% and 79%, and specificities of 80% and 90%, for HCC diagnosis. The combination of GPC-3 with AFP achieved the highest sensitivity (98.5%) and specificity (97.8%). Conclusion: Serum GPC-3 has a better sensitivity than AFP for the diagnosis of HCC. Combination of two markers appears warranted for greatest accuracy.