ASSOCIATION OF SERUM ALPHA FETOPROTEIN (AFP) LEVELS WITH SIZE OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Abstract

Objective: To determine the association between high levels of serum Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) and tumor size in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from June 2015 to June 2017. Material and Methods: Two hundred and thirty six patients diagnosed with HCC were enrolled in the study, out of which 175 provided the required data to perform the association. All demographic data and clinical information was recorded on a predesigned proforma, after taking proper informed consent. The cases were divided into three groups for each variable to evaluate. Concerning the serum alpha fetoprotein levels, they were divided as group 1 (normal level: <20 UI/ml), group 2 (higher level: 21 to 399 UI/ml) and group 3 (extremely high level: >400 UI/ml). According to the size of their tumors, the group A contains patients with less than 3 cm. tumors; in group B the tumors are 3 to 5cm. and the group C is formed by patients whose tumors were larger than 5 cm. Other variables such as number of lesions (tumors), Child Pugh and BCLC scores were considered as additional information. Results: Total 175 patients took part in final data analysis. The age range was from 30 to 85 years old. Considering their AFP levels, there were 61 in group 1, 75 in group 2 and 39 in group 3. In addition..............