Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a tumor marker used in clinical diagnosis and for monitoring the course of treatment. Serum concentration of AFP in excess of several hundred ng/ml is nearly 100 percent positive predictive value for hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this study was evaluation of AFP serum concentration in patients with different chronic liver diseases and the relationship between the concentration of AFP and gender in the studied groups of patients.
Material and methods: The study includes 359 patients: 72 with autoimmune hepatitis, 27 with cancer metastatic to the liver, 53 with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, 207 with liver cirrhosis and 40 healthy volunteers as control group. The concentration of AFP was examined in all patients.
Results: The highest AFP concentration occurred in the patients with autoimmune hepatitis, with metastatic liver cancer and with liver cirrhosis 16.81 +/- 5.49 ng/ml, 9.67 +/- 1.48 ng/ml i 8.42 +/- 2.73 ng/ml (p < 0.001 compared to the control group) respectively. Considering the classification of cirrhosis according to Child-Pugh Score the mean concentrations of AFP were: in Class A - 7.03 +/- 2.29 ng/ml, B - 7.59 +/- 2.45 ng/ml i C - 10.02 +/- 2.40 ng/ml. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean AFP concentrations between the patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the control group. Also showed no differences in the average concentration of AFP in men and women in study groups of patients (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Elevated serum AFP concentration typically up to several ng/ml is observed in autoimmune hepatitis, metastatic liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Concentration of AFP correlates with the severity of liver cirrhosis. Simple steatosis of liver as one of the forms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is characterized by normal serum concentration of AFP. No relationship between AFP concentration and gender in patients with chronic liver disease is observed.