ANALYSIS THE ALPHA-PROTEIN LEVEL IN HEPATITIS PATIENT AS AN AID IN ASSESSING THE DEGREE IN WHICH IT GENERATES TO HCC

Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Chronic hepatitis B and C infections are major risk factors for the development of HCC. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a widely used biomarker in the surveillance and diagnosis of HCC. However, its role in predicting the risk of HCC development in patients with hepatitis has been a topic of debate. This study aimed to analyze the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in hepatitis patients and assess its utility as a predictive marker for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 200 hepatitis patients were enrolled in the study, including individuals with chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, and hepatitis of other etiologies. The AFP levels were measured in all patients at regular intervals over a period of 2 years. The results showed that AFP levels were significantly elevated in patients with chronic hepatitis B compared to those with chronic hepatitis C and other hepatitis etiologies. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis revealed that hepatitis B patients who later developed HCC had a progressive increase in AFP levels leading up to the diagnosis of cancer. In contrast, AFP levels remained relatively stable in hepatitis C patients who did not develop HCC during the study period. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to determine the diagnostic accuracy of AFP in predicting HCC development in hepatitis patients. The area under the curve (AUC) was found to be 0.85, indicating a good predictive performance of AFP in differentiating between hepatitis patients who were at high risk of developing HCC and those who were not. In conclusion, our findings suggest that monitoring AFP levels in hepatitis patients, particularly those with chronic hepatitis B, may aid in assessing the risk of HCC development. Regular surveillance of AFP could help in identifying high-risk patients who may benefit from closer monitoring or early intervention strategies. Further prospective studies are warranted to validate these results and establish the role of AFP as a prognostic marker in hepatitis patients at risk of HCC.