Diagnostic value of glypican 3, arginase-1 and hepatocyte paraffin antigen -1 in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic value of glypican-3 (GPC3), arginase-1 (Arg-1), and hepatocyte paraffin antigen 1 (HepPar-1) in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods: The expression of GPC3, HepPar-1 and Arg-1 were measured by immunohistochemistry in 47 cases of HCC, 29 cases of ICC and their paracancerous tissues. Results: A high expression of GPC3, Arg-1 and HepPar-1 was observed in HCC tissues (68.09%, 76.60% and 78.72%, respectively; P>0.0125) while it was lower in ICC tissues (6.90%, 6.90% and 13.79%, respectively; P>0.0125). With regard to specificity, GPC3 performed better than Arg-1 and HepPar-1 (97.37% vs . 1.32% and 2.63%, respectively; P Conclusions: GPC3, Arg-1 and HepPar-1 were all useful biomarkers in differentiating HCC from ICC. The combination models could improve the diagnosis value of HCC and help differentiating HCC from ICC.