Document Detail


Elevated serum chromogranin A in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  12447608     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Chromogranin A is a cellular marker forneuroendocrine tumors. Elevated levels of chromogranin A are also found in patients with cancers of epithelial origin when neuroendocrine differentiation occurs, which is associated with a poor prognosis. We investigated the prevalence of serum levels of chromogranin A in patients with primary liver cancer. Seventy-nine patients (65 males, mean age 67.6 years, range 48-88 years) with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma were studied. The etiology of cirrhosis was identified as due to hepatitis C virus infection in 47 patients, to hepatitis C virus and alcohol in 7, to alcohol alone in 14, to hepatitis C and B virus in 2, and to hepatitis B virus alone in 4. Of the remaining patients, 2 suffered from hemochromatosis and 3 had cryptogenic cirrhosis. According to the Child-Pugh's score, 54 patients belonged to class A, 22 to class B, and 3 to class C. The concentration of chromogranin A was measured in serum with a commercial solid-phase two-site immunoradiometric assay. Elevated serum levels of chromogranin A were found in 32 of 79 patients (43%). Levels over 600 ng/ml were present in 7 of 76 patients (9.2%), all of whom had very high serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein. Hence, elevated serum levels of chromogranin A are present in over one third of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. It is therefore possible that some hepatocellular carcinomas could acquire a neuroendocrine differentiation. We propose further studies to ascertain whether serum levels of chromogranin A are useful as a prognostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma as in prostate cancer.
Authors:
N Leone; R Pellicano; F Brunello; M Rizzetto; A Ponzetto
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Clinical and experimental medicine     Volume:  2     ISSN:  1591-8890     ISO Abbreviation:  Clin. Exp. Med.     Publication Date:  2002 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2002-11-26     Completed Date:  2003-05-27     Revised Date:  2007-04-17    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  100973405     Medline TA:  Clin Exp Med     Country:  Italy    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  119-23     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital S Giovanni Battista, Turin, Italy. leone.nic@tiscalinet.it
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / blood*,  pathology
Cell Differentiation
Chromogranin A
Chromogranins / blood*
Female
Humans
Liver Neoplasms / blood*,  pathology
Male
Middle Aged
Neuroendocrine Tumors / blood,  pathology
Prognosis
Tumor Markers, Biological / blood
alpha-Fetoproteins / metabolism
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/CHGA protein, human; 0/Chromogranin A; 0/Chromogranins; 0/Tumor Markers, Biological; 0/alpha-Fetoproteins

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