Singapore, August 9, 2007: Cancer of the liver is very difficult to detect, and it is a major cause of death in Asia and Africa, with rising incidence in Western countries as well. Now, Chinese researchers in association with VIB researchers in Belgium have developed a test to detect liver cancer at an early stage. A small blood sample is the only requirement for the test. The new test enables accurate detection of liver cancer in over 50 percent of the cases for which previous diagnostic tests have not been able to provide a definitive answer.

 

The current detection methods of detecting malignant growths are often based on the concentration of particular substances called markers that are present in the blood. For the detection of liver cancer, only one marker (AFP) is generally used. However, this marker has a low specificity and is frequently inadequate because of false-positive results.

 

Xue-en Liu, Liesbeth Desmyter and colleagues under the supervision of Cuiying Chen developed this new test. By examining blood concentrations in Chinese patients with cirrhosis of the liver due to hepatitis B virus infection, they found that the quantities of two particular sugar groups that appear on the blood proteins varied according to the stage of the disease. Furthermore, these values correlated with the size of the tumor. The ratio of these values forms the basis of the new blood test. The researchers were able to make the correct diagnosis in 70 percent of the cases based on the quantities of the two sugar groups in blood.

 

When the AFP test is used in combination with the new test, the accuracy of HCC diagnosis rises dramatically. The new test succeeds in detecting liver cancer in more than half of the patients with cirrhosis of the liver for which the AFP test provides no answer. This test would allow frequent and non-invasive analyses to be carried out on cirrhosis patients, which would enable scientists to detect liver cancer in an earlier stage and to closely monitor the development of the disease.