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Abnormal prothrombin: Evaluation as a tumour marker and localization in tissues of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Author(s) -
KODA T.,
YAMAZAKI S.,
TAMURA I.,
NAKABA H.,
TAKAO T.,
KATAYAMA S.,
KURIMURA O.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1993.tb01188.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , pathology , carcinoma , oncology
In this study, the diagnostic significance of PIVKA‐II concentrations in various liver diseases was evaluated, and the use of PIVKA‐II as a tumour marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was discussed. Also, the location of abnormal prothrombin (PIVKA‐II) production in HCC by indirect immunoperoxidase staining was examined. There was a good correlation between plasma and serum PIVKA‐II concentrations, indicating that serum samples are adequate for PIVKA‐II measurements. Fifty‐four of 97 (55.7%) patients with HCC, one of 10 (10%) patients with metastatic liver cancer and two of 47 (4.3%) patients with liver cirrhosis had positive serum PIVKA‐II concentrations. Positive serum PIVKA‐II concentrations were found more frequently in patients with HCC than in any other liver disease (P < 0.01). Of the 97 patients with HCC, 54 (55.7%) were PIVKA‐II positive, 76.3% had serum concentrations of either PIVKA‐II or α‐fetoprotein, indicating the usefulness of both tumour markers in the diagnosis of HCC. Using frozen sections of tissue specimens obtained at autopsy or during surgery, the localization of PIVKA‐II was examined by indirect immunoperoxidase staining with specific anti‐PIVKA‐II antibodies. Tissues from 12 of 22 patients with HCC had positive PIVKA‐II indirect immunoperoxidase staining only in the cancer cells. Cells with greater atypia tended to have stronger cytoplasmic staining. No specific staining was observed in non‐cancerous cells. These findings suggest that PIVKA‐II is synthesized specifically in hepatic cancer cells.