Publication Details
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered as one of the most common primary liver cancers across the globe, and it is one of the biggest causes of cancer-related death especially in areas where chronic hepatitis B and C are widespread. The need to detect and properly assess prognostic factors is important in enhancing patient survival and formulating relevant treatment plans. The use of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as a serum biomarker to diagnose and monitor HCC has a long history of use as a glycoprotein that is usually generated by the fetus. This literature review will focus on the diagnostic and prognostic value of AFP in hepatocellular carcinoma and the clinical implications of AFP in disease diagnosis, disease progression and disease treatment. Various clinical trials have proven that the high AFP concentrations are often related to hepatocellular carcinoma, commonly relevant to the extent of the tumor, tumor weight, vascularization and aggressive biological activity. The measurement of AFP is usually complemented with other imaging modalities including ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to improve the diagnosis and improve early detection of liver tumor. Moreover, poor clinical outcomes have been associated with high AFP levels, such as high rates of tumor recurrence, high disease stages, and low rates of overall survival. alledritional levels of AFP are also useful in the detection of therapeutic response and possible disease relapse and serve as a specific parameter of monitoring the AFP levels both during and after treatment. Notwithstanding some limitations in sensitivity and specificity, the AFP has been one of the most popular biomarkers in clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma especially when combined with imaging data and other emerging molecular markers to enhance diagnostic practice and prognostic analysis.