Publication Date:
2012-05-02
Description:
Assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is critical for predicting disease progression and determining future antiviral therapy. LecT-Hepa, a new glyco-marker derived from fibrosis-related glyco-alteration on serum alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, has been used to differentiate cirrhosis from chronic hepatitis in a single-center study. Herein, we aimed to validate this new glyco-marker for estimating liver fibrosis in a multicenter study. Overall, 183 CHC patients were recruited from 5 liver centers. The parameters Aspergillus oryzae lectin [AOL]/ Dature stramonium lectin [DSA] and Maackia amurensis lectin [MAL]/DSA were measured using a bedside clinical chemistry analyzer in order to calculate LecT-Hepa levels. The data were compared with those of 7 other noninvasive biochemical markers and tests (hyaluronic acid, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases-1, platelet count, APRI, Forns index, Fib-4 index, and Zeng's score) for assessing liver fibrosis using the receiver-operating characteristic curve. LecT-Hepa correlated well with the fibrosis stage as determined by liver biopsy. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity of LecT-Hepa were 0.802, 59.6%, and 89.9%, respectively, for significant fibrosis; 0.882, 83.3%, and 80.0%, respectively, for severe fibrosis; and 0.929, 84.6%, and 88.5%, respectively, for cirrhosis. AUC scores of LecT-Hepa at each fibrosis stage were greater than those of the 7 aforementioned noninvasive tests and markers. Conclusions: The efficacy of LecT-Hepa, a glyco-marker developed using glycoproteomics, for estimating liver fibrosis was demonstrated in a multicenter study. LecT-Hepa given by a combination of the 2 glyco-parameters is a reliable method for determining the fibrosis stage, and is a potential substitute for liver biopsy. (H EPATOLOGY 2012.)
Print ISSN:
0270-9139
Electronic ISSN:
1527-3350
Topics:
Medicine
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