Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40230049›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical laboratory analysis2025

A Large-Scale Retrospective Study of Serum Des-Gamma-Carboxy Prothrombin as a Diagnostic Marker of HCC: Effect of Liver Function on Specificity.

Hongying Bu, Weijia Luo, Wenli Tao, Chen Dong, Meifang Wang, Xu Ye, Xi Zeng, Boqing Wang, Chang Liu, Qi Yu and 3 more

Abstract readEvaluation StudyMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical laboratory analysis, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Hongying BuSchool of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6565-5715
Weijia LuoHunan Engineering Research Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Tumor Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
Wenli TaoHunan Engineering Research Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Tumor Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
Chen DongProvincial Key Laboratory of Study on Mechanism of Hepatic Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Hebei Medical University Third Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.
Meifang WangScience and Technology Innovation Center, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.
Xu YeThe Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China.
Xi ZengHunan Engineering Research Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Tumor Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
Boqing WangDepartment of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Xinjiang, China.
Chang LiuEngineering and Research Center for Integrated New Energy Photovoltaics & Energy Storage Systems of Hunan Province and School of Electrical Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Qi YuHunan Engineering Research Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Tumor Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
Deliang CaoHunan Engineering Research Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Tumor Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
Hongyu DengThe Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China.
Yuemin NanProvincial Key Laboratory of Study on Mechanism of Hepatic Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Hebei Medical University Third Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.

Funding

atural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2023JJ50135Changsha Science and Technology Project kq2303001Health Research Project of Hunan Provincial Health Commission R2023181Health Research Project of Hunan Provincial Health Commission W20242003Hunan Cancer Hospital Climb Plan 2023NSFC-B002Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China 2023JJ30370Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China 2024JJ5246Science and Technology Innovative Research Team in Higher Educational Institutions of Hunan Province 2023233Start-up Fund of University of South China 211RGC009the Projects of the Health Commission of Hunan Province 202201043124The Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province 2021SK51110
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis retrospective multicenter study is aimed at evaluating the diagnostic accuracy and influence factors of serum des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) as a diagnostic biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

methodsClinical data were collected from 4555 subjects with DCP tests, composed of primary liver cancer (PLC), metastatic liver cancer (MLC), chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC), benign liver diseases (BLD), biliary tract diseases (BTD), non-liver cancers (NLC), and non-liver benign diseases (NLBD). The clinical data collected included medical history, treatment records, various serum tests, and imaging examination.

resultsSerum DCP was measured with Abbott agents in each center. In HCC, serum DCP concentration was at 9086.00 ± 366.10 mAU/mL, higher than that in other diseases (p < 0.05). At 40.00 mAU/mL recommended by instruction, positive rates of serum DCP were at 85.11% in HCC, 30.12% in intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC), 31.65% in MLC, 13.95% in BLD, 18.14% in CH, 27.87% in LC, 15.75% in BTD, 35.29% in NLC, and 20.00% in NLBD. In this study, the diagnostic specificity of serum DCP in HCC was affected by liver function. In HCC, serum AFP concentrations also increased compared to non-HCC diseases (p < 0.05), but specificity varied with agents from different providers. Serum DCP decreased after the surgical removal of HCC, but remained elusive in systemic treatment.

conclusionSerum DCP may serve as an optimal biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC, but its accuracy appears influenced by liver function; attention needs to be paid to the liver function of patients for false positivity.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorCarcinoma, HepatocellularLiver NeoplasmsProtein PrecursorsAdultAgedBiomarkersFemaleHumansLiver Function TestsMaleMiddle AgedProthrombinRetrospective StudiesSensitivity and SpecificityacarboxyprothrombinBiomarkersBiomarkers, TumorProtein PrecursorsProthrombinAFPDCPHCCretrospective studyserum biomarker

Identifiers

PMID40230049
PMCPMC12089794

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.