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Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective This study was conducted to investigate the prognostic significance of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) serum levels in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Background HCC is one of the prominent types of malignancies and ranks third in mortality worldwide. RFA is regarded as an alternative to surgical resection for curative treatment of a small HCC. GGT is a key enzyme that catalyzes the transpeptidation and hydrolysis of the C-terminal glutamyl group of glutathione and related molecules, and it correlates with biotransformation, nucleic acid metabolism, and tumorigenesis. Patients and methods This study was conducted on 20 patients with a small HCC who had been treated with RFA. Baseline serum GGT was estimated before therapy and then after 1–2 months to see its possible prognostic tool as a marker in HCC. In addition, 20 apparently healthy individuals matched for age and sex were selected as a control group. Results Our study revealed that level of GGT was significantly reduced compared with pretreated level in patients with HCC treated with RFA. Moreover, high GGT level and big tumor size were risk factors for recurrence. Conclusion We can use GGT as a marker for prognosis of HCC patients treated with RFA.

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