الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Approximately 58 million individuals are affected by chronic hepatitis C viral infection. If untreated, this condition can progress to cirrhosis, portal hypertension, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Employing distinct serum indicators for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection is highly recommended, as an early diagnosis leads to improved prognoses.
Lactadherin, also known as Milk Fat Globule-EGF Factor 8, functions as a protective factor against liver cirrhosis and HCC in normal individuals. This marker serves as a significant opsonin for apoptotic cells, aiding their clearance by macrophages.
The objective of this research was to assess the blood levels of Milk Fat Globule-EGF Factor 8 as a potential biomarker for HCC in cirrhotic individuals.
In this prospective case-control study, participants were categorized into three groups: group I included 30 cases of confirmed cirrhosis without HCC, group II encompassed 30 cases of HCC in patients with existing cirrhosis, and group III consisted of 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
Age and sex were consistent across all studied groups. Among cirrhotic and HCC patients, common reported symptoms included abdominal distension, pain, dyspepsia, yellow discoloration, and weight loss, indicating delayed presentation of the condition.
Patients with HCC and cirrhotic patients without HCC exhibited lower hemoglobin and platelet counts compared to the control group, although these differences were not statistically significant. Renal function and fasting blood glucose showed no statistically significant differences between individuals with cirrhosis and those with cirrhosis accompanied by HCC.
Liver function markers, including ALT, AST, GGT, and ALP, were notably elevated in cirrhotic patients with HCC compared to both cirrhotic patients without HCC and healthy controls. Total bilirubin, serum albumin, prothrombin time, and international normalized ratios (INR) were also. significantly higher in both cirrhotic patient groups compared to the control group.
According to Child-Pugh score classification, a substantial proportion of HCC patients were classified as Child B (around 50%), similar to cirrhotic patients without HCC (around 57%). No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of Child-Pugh scores between the two studied groups.
The majority of patients were classified as BCLC B, accounting for 33.3% of participants. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC compared to cirrhotic patients without HCC and healthy controls. AFP levels in cirrhotic patients without HCC were also higher than in healthy controls (P = 0.044).
Regarding Serum Milk Growth Factor-8, a significant difference was observed between group I (cirrhosis without HCC) and group II (HCC in cirrhotic patients) with a p-value of less than 0.001. Additionally, a significant difference was found between group II and group III (healthy controls) with a p-value of less than 0.001. The Area under the Curve (AUC) for Serum Milk Growth Factor-8 was calculated to be 0.916, while the AUC for AFP was 0.797. Therefore, Serum Milk Growth Factor-8 exhibits higher diagnostic value than AFP in differentiating between the studied groups