Background: Liver carcinogenesis seems to be heavely influenced by hepatitis B and C viral (HBV, HCV) infection. The aim of our study was to improve the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by measuring alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) in addition to other molecular markers by estimating the plasma levels of human catalytic fraction of reverse telomerase (hTERT) DNA, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in 75 patients with liver desease.
Patients and methods: A control group was enrolled (N=30). PAI-1 and t-PA levels were detected with enzyme-linked immunoassorbent assay (ELISA), DNA hTERT was performed with real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Results: PAI-1, t-PA and hTERT DNA levels were much higher than in controls. PAI-1 and t-PA levels were higher in the presence of both viruses compared to their absence, p<0.001. Moreover, hTERT was significantly higher in the presence of both viruses, p<0.05 and in the presence of HCV alone, p<0.05. No decrease or increase of AFP was noted in these patients.
Conclusion: Our data suggest the reliability of PAI-1, t-PA and hTERT in detecting HCC, in particular when the carcinogenesis is affected by virus infection.