Diagnostic significance of plasma osteopontin in hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aim: Outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) depends mainly on its early diagnosis. The performance of traditional biomarkers is not satisfactory. Osteopontin (OPN) is of potential importance. This study aim to assess the diagnostic value of plasma OPN compared with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for the diagnosis of HCV- related HCC. Methods: We recruited 113 HCC patients compared with 120 matched cirrhotic patients and 120 Controls. The plasma level of OPN and serum AFP for all participants were assessed. Results: The median plasma OPN level was significantly higher in the HCC group than in the cirrhotic patient group or in the normal control group (p-value < 0.001), while OPN levels were not differed significantly in correlation with the degree of liver function deterioration in terms of advanced Child-Pugh class (p-value < 0.9). The diagnostic efficacy of OPN were superior to AFP in terms of AUC, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV either in diagnosis of early or late stages of HCC (0.88 vs. 0.56; P = 0.0001, 0.991vs. 0.899; p = 0.01; respectively). Conclusion: Plasma OPN level is a potential diagnostic marker for HCC, especially among high-risk group of patients. These values extend beyond the traditional tumor biomarkers as AFP, as it possesses good prognostic value.