Aim: This work is to explore the predictive and diagnostic value of chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 8 (CXCL8), CXCL9 and CXCL13 combined detections for microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Materials & methods: A total of 82 HCC patients with MVI were recruited as the MVI group and 154 patients with non MVI were recruited as the non MVI group. Results: In HCC patients with MVI, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL13 levels were significantly elevated. Child-Pugh scores and serum α-fetoprotein level had positive correlation with CXCL8, CXCL9 and CXCL13 levels. The serum levels of CXCL8, 9 and 13 were effective in predicting MVI in HCC patients. Conclusion: CXCL8, CXCL9 and CXCL13 levels in HCC patients are valuable parameters in the prediction of MVI.
Keywords: CXCL13; CXCL8; CXCL9; hepatocellular carcinoma; microvascular invasion.