Evaluation of glypican-3 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers occurring worldwide, including Mongolia. Although alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a widely used marker for HCC, conflicting studies have been published regarding its specificity and sensitivity towards HCC. Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a different promising biomarker for HCC, and there is some evidence to suggest that this protein may be a more specific marker compared with AFP. GPC3 has been shown to fulfill important roles in cell proliferation and division during embryogenesis, and is rarely found in the tissues of healthy adults. The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of serum GPC3 (sGPC3) and tissue GPC3 in Mongolian patients with HCC. Serum samples from a total of 270 individuals [HCC group, 90 patients; risk group (RG), 90 subjects; and control group, 90 subjects] were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to identify the sGPC3 levels. In addition, immunohistochemical analysis of the GPC3 was performed on tissue samples from 50 patients with HCC to evaluate the expression of GPC3. sGPC3 level was found to be significantly increased in the HCC group compared with the RG and the control group, with the area under the curve=0.85 (P<0.001). sGPC3 was found to be significantly associated with hepatitis C virus status and cirrhosis (P<0.05). In addition, the tissue expression of GPC3 was associated with the serum AFP (sAFP) level. Finally, positive staining of GPC3 was observed when the sAFP level of the patient was >20 ng/ml. In conclusion, the results from the present study have supported that GPC3 may be a promising marker for HCC, and can be used as a diagnostic marker alongside AFP.