Title: | The screening of volatile markers for hepatocellular carcinoma |
Author(s): | Qin T; Liu H; Song Q; Song G; Wang HZ; Pan YY; Xiong FX; Gu KS; Sun GP; Chen ZD; |
Address: | "Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University and 2Center of Medical Physics and Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Science, Hefei, China" |
Journal Title: | Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev |
DOI: | 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-10-0302 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1538-7755 (Electronic) 1055-9965 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "BACKGROUND: Breath analysis became promising for noninvasive diagnoses of cancer with sophisticated spectrometry technology introduced. This study aimed to screen volatile markers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Breath samples were collected from 30 HCC patients who were comorbid with type B hepatitis and cirrhosis and from 27 hepatocirrhosis patients and 36 healthy persons, both taken as controls. The volatile organic compounds in the samples were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and the markers were selected by comparing their levels between groups. Each of the markers was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and a discriminant function using the markers was established. The relationships of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and clinical stages with the concentrations of the markers were also investigated. RESULTS: 3-Hydroxy-2-butanone, styrene, and decane were screened as potential markers, among which 3-hydroxy-2-butanone was found to have the best diagnostic value. The diagnostic function using these markers had a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 91.7% between HCC patients and normal controls and a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 91.7% by cross-validation. No statistically significance (P > 0.05) was found for the concentration differences of these markers between HCC patients with AFP >400 or <400 microg/L or between stage I-II and stage III-IV patients. CONCLUSION: These volatile organic compounds could be useful as breath markers of HCC patients, independent of AFP levels or clinical stages. IMPACT: Breath analysis could be useful for early diagnosis of HCC, especially for AFP-negative HCC" |
Keywords: | "Acetoin/analysis/metabolism Alkanes/analysis/metabolism Biomarkers, Tumor/analysis/*metabolism Breath Tests Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*diagnosis/*metabolism/pathology Female Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods Humans Liver Neoplasms/*diagnosis/*m;" |
Notes: | "MedlineQin, Tao Liu, Hu Song, Qi Song, Geng Wang, Hong-zhi Pan, Yue-yin Xiong, Fu-xing Gu, Kang-sheng Sun, Guo-ping Chen, Zhen-dong eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2010/09/10 Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010 Sep; 19(9):2247-53. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-10-0302" |