[Survey of the serum hepatocellular carcinoma marker Golgi glycoprotein (GP73) among Qidong residents and correlation analysis to outcome at two-year follow-up].

Objective To survey the levels of Golgi glycoprotein (GP73),a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) marker,in residents of Qidong and determine the correlation of detected GP73 concentration ranges with outcome at two-year follow-up.Methods A total of 12,378 individuals (age range:35-69 years old)from Qidong were enrolled in the study.All participants were tested for hepatitis B virus (HBV) by detecting hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in serum.One-tenth of the participants were assigned to a stratifiedrandom sample group (those with identification numbers ending with "0") to represent a "subgroup of the natural population" (HBsAgPop,n =1227).All HBsAg carriers were stratified as a "subgroup of positivity"(HBsAgPve,n=1025).One-tenth of all HBsAg-negative individuals were assigned to a stratified-random sample group to represent a "subgroup of negativity" (HBsAgNve,n =1132).Enzyme-linked immunoassay was used to measure the serum GP73 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels; the distribution,medians (50th percentile),and 95th percentiles of GP73 were determined for the three subgroups.A two-year follow-up was carried out to observe the differential incidence of HCC between the HBsAgPve and HBsAgNve subgroups.Results A positively skewed distribution of the GP73 values was observed for all three subgroups.The medians for HBsAgPve,HBsAgNve,and HBsAgPop were 67μg/L,54 μg/L,and 55 μg/L; the 95th percentiles were 174 μg/L,108 μg/L,and 114 μg/L,respectively.The AFP positivity rates were 7.23％ (37/512)for carriers whose GP73 values were above the median level and 0.78％ (4/513) for carriers with GP73 values below the median level,with a highly significant difference between the two (P＜ 0.01).A the two-year follow-up,23 (4.49％) of the 512 carriers with GP73 ≥ 67 μg/L had developed HCC,while only one patient (0.19％) of the 513 carriers with GP73 ＜ 67 μg/L developed HCC,which yielded a relative risk value of 23.6.In the non-carriers,no HCC cases had occurred,regardless of serum GP73 level.Conclusion Serum GP73 has a higher potential as a diagnostic/prognostic marker of HCC in individuals with HBsAg positivity.In follow-up of HBsAg carriers,GP73 may help in the early detection of liver cancer. Key words: Carcinoma, hepatocellular;  Golgi apparatus;  Glycoproteins;  AFP;  HBsAg; Diagnosis