Is pivka-ii a promising biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma?

Aim. To evaluate the clinical contribution of protein induced by vitamin K absence (PIVKA-II) for the diagnosisof hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The second aim was to compare PIVKA-II with routinely used alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) for the same indication.Materials and methods. 310 participants were enrolled in our study: 60 with HCC, 40 with liver metastases ofcolorectal cancer origin, 40 with liver cirrhosis, 20 with pancreatic cancer (PC) and 150 healthy individuals. Serum levels of PIVKA-II were measured using a chemiluminescent assay of the Architect 1000i System (“Abbott”, USA) andAFP levels using a chemiluminescent assay by DxI 800 (“Beckman Coulter”, USA). Serum concentrations of PIVKA-IIand AFP were compared between the group with HCC and the other mentioned groups.Results. PIVKA-II achieved better clinical sensitivity in comparison with AFP. PIVKA-II achieved its best sensitivity (96,9 %) in distinguishing between the HCC and control group with the proposed cut-off value of 60 mAU/ml.Conclusion. PIVKA-II can be used alongside routinely established AFP as a valuable marker in the diagnosis of HCC