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Abstract
Background: HCC is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer death. HCC constitutes 70.48% of all liver tumors among Egyptians. HCC represents the main complication of cirrhosis. The cytokeratin 19 (CK19) belongs to a family of keratins, which are normally expressed in the lining of the gastro- enteropancreatic and hepatobiliary tracts. CK19 immunohistochemistry has been used successfully in thyroid tumors to recognize papillary carcinomas for some time. However, its use in the pancreas, liver, and gastrointestinal tract has only recently come to the fore. Aim: To evaluate the role of the serum level of CK19 in HCC patients as a prognostic marker. Methods: We measured the serum levels of (cytokeratin 19) in hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent appropriate therapeutic interventions for its hepatic focal lesions before interventions and then a month later and six months after appropriate intervention to discuss the possibility of use of this marker as predictive of progression of disease in those patients. Reslts: We demonstrated in this study that CK19 levels were significantly higher in patients with ablated focal lesions than in non ablated 1 and 6 months after intervention. Conclusion: Serum CK19 levels could be a simple, noninvasive way to predict tumor progression and evaluating treatment response and prognosis in patients with HCC amenable for intervention