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Subject Area

Clinical Pathology

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objectives To study serum T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain 3 (Tim-3) levels in discriminating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from chronic viral hepatitis. Background HCC is the most common primary liver tumor and considered the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the developed countries. As T cells respond to persistent tumor or viral antigens, they progressively lose their functional properties with cell-surface expression of multiple inhibitory immune-checkpoint receptors. By blocking immune-checkpoint proteins, the immune system can stimulate the body's own mechanism to remain effective in its defenses against cancer. Participants and methods The study was conducted on 100 participants divided into four groups as 25 chronic viral hepatitis patients' group, 25 newly diagnosed HCC group, and 25 HCC patients under conventional therapy. In addition, 25 healthy individuals were included as a control group. The level of serum Tim-3 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Routine chemical tests were determined using chemistry autoanalyzer. Correlations were tested by Pearson's correlation analysis. Results HCC groups were significantly higher in hepatitis-C virus infection and cirrhosis than viral hepatitis group. The alpha-fetoprotein was significantly higher in patients' groups than controls and in HCC groups than viral hepatitis group. There was significant elevation in serum Tim-3 level in patients' groups than controls. The receiver-operating characteristic curve revealed that a cutoff value at or more than 315 ng/ml HCC was diagnosed from apparently healthy persons. Serum Tim-3 showed significant positive correlation with alpha-fetoprotein and significant negative correlation with albumin among patients. Conclusion Serum level of Tim-3 was significantly increased in HCC patients than controls. This designates that Tim-3 can participate in the pathogenesis of HCC.

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