Serum Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 and Total Bile Acid Concentrations Are Potential Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Purpose. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) carries a high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Both serum fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) and bile acid concentrations are associated with T2DM and HCC. We aimed at evaluating the relationships between FGF19 and bile acid concentrations and HCC in patients with T2DM. Methods. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers (control group), 27 patients with T2DM (T2DM group), 16 patients with newly diagnosed HCC (HCC group), and 10 T2DM patients with newly diagnosed HCC (T2DM-HCC group) were studied at the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University between June 2016 and June 2017. The serum concentrations of serum FGF19 and total bile acids (TBA) were measured in all the participants. Correlation analysis and multiple stepwise regression analysis of the FGF19 and TBA concentrations were performed in all the participants and in the four groups. Results. The concentrations of FGF19 were 220.5 pg/ml, 185.1 pg/ml, 115.8 pg/ml, and 70.4 pg/ml in the HCC, T2DM-HCC, control, and T2DM groups, respectively ( ), and the TBA concentrations were 21.75 μmol/l, 14.25 μmol/l, 3.6 μmol/l, and 3.1 μmol/l ( ). There were positive correlations between the FGF19 and TBA concentrations across all the participants (r = 0.777; ), and in the control (r = 0.400; ), T2DM (r = 0.477; ), HCC (r = 0.684; ), and T2DM-HCC (r = 0.673; ) groups. Conclusions. Simultaneous increase of serum FGF19 and TBA levels may be used as indicators of HCC screening at early stage in patients with T2DM.