Elevated procalcitonin levels in the absence of infection in procalcitonin-secretin hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report

BACKGROUND: Serum procalcitonin (PCT) is widely used to diagnose bacterial infection and sepsis. However, PCT may be elevated in some neoplasms. It is important to distinguish infection from no infection in such neoplasms. The relationship between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and PCT is unknown. CASE SUMMARY: A 62-year-old male was admitted due to a hepatic lesion of unknown origin. The patient had an elevated PCT level. Infectious diseases were excluded after appropriate examination. He then underwent exploratory laparotomy and a left lateral hepatectomy was performed. The patient recovered with an uneventful postoperative course and PCT level decreased gradually and was normal on day 16. HCC was diagnosed by histopathology and no evidence of infection was observed. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analyses revealed that tumor cells were positive for PCT. CONCLUSION: HCC cells can secrete PCT in the absence of infection and PCT may be used as a marker to monitor the efficacy of tumor therapy.