Galectin-3 is not useful for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in cirrhotic patients but it may be a marker of cirrhosis development

AIM OF THE STUDY: Ultrasound surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among cirrhotic patients is the currently used modality but it is operator dependent. Combining a tumor marker with ultrasound may improve sensitivity for early HCC detection. Our aim was to assess the galectin-3 level among HCC and cirrhotic patients on top of chronic hepatitis C to evaluate its possible role as a tumor marker for HCC surveillance among cirrhotic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 160 subjects. They were grouped as follows: group 1: 40 patients with HCC secondary to liver cirrhosis on top of chronic hepatitis C; group 2: 40 patients with cirrhosis secondary to chronic hepatitis C; group 3: 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C without advanced fibrosis; group 4: 40 healthy controls. Serum galectin-3 levels were determined in all subjects using ELISA. RESULTS: Serum galectin-3 level was significantly higher in HCC patients than in those with chronic hepatitis C (p < 0.001). Also it was significantly higher among cirrhotic patients than in patients with chronic hepatitis C (p < 0.001). But on comparing HCC patients with cirrhotic patients, serum galectin-3 levels were not significantly different (p = 0.926). Conclusions: Galectin-3 levels cannot be used as an additional method for surveillance of HCC among cirrhotic patients.