Assessment of Serum Cytokine Levels in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Those with Chronic Liver Disease: Cross-Sectional Study

Donatien Serge Mbaga^1, , Jacky Njiki Bikoï¹, Etienne Atenguena Okobalemba², Justin Olivier Essindi¹, Chris André Mbongue Mikangue¹, Cyprien Kengne Nde³, George Ikomey Mondinde⁴, Sebastien Kenmoe⁵ and Sara Honorine Riwom Essama¹

¹Department of Microbiology, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

²Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

³Comité National de Lutte Contre le SIDA, Cameroon

⁴Centre for the Study and Control of Communicable Diseases, Yaoundé, Cameroon

⁵Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon

Cite this paper:
Donatien Serge Mbaga, Jacky Njiki Bikoï, Etienne Atenguena Okobalemba, Justin Olivier Essindi, Chris André Mbongue Mikangue, Cyprien Kengne Nde, George Ikomey Mondinde, Sebastien Kenmoe and Sara Honorine Riwom Essama. Assessment of Serum Cytokine Levels in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Those with Chronic Liver Disease: Cross-Sectional Study. American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. 2023; 11(1):18-24. doi: 10.12691/ajidm-11-1-4

Abstract

The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently limited by the use of Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and medical imaging. To improve the diagnostic process, this study aimed to compare cytokine levels in patients with HCC, liver cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis. Sixty participants were consecutively enrolled in a cross-sectional study and divided into three groups: 20 with Chronic Hepatitis, 20 with Liver Cirrhosis, and 20 with HCC. The study was conducted in Yaoundé from December 2020 to April 2022. Blood samples were collected from each participant and analysed using a Luminex instrument to quantify cytokine markers. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 25.0. Significant variations in proinflammatory (IL-2 and IL-6) and angiogenic growth factor (VEGF) cytokines were observed among the three groups, with p-values of <0.0001, 0.050, and <0.0001 respectively. VEGF showed high sensitivity (80%) and moderate specificity (70%) at a threshold of 200 pg/ml, while in the one hand, AFP showed high sensitivity (80%) and low specificity (35%) at a threshold of 100 ng/ml. On another hand, IL-6 showed moderate sensitivity (60%) and high specificity (80%) at a threshold of 25 pg/ml. The findings of this study suggest that combining AFP levels, medical imaging, and cytokine markers such as IL-6 and VEGF can improve the early diagnosis of HCC.

Keywords:
AFP IL-6 VEGF chronic hepatitis cirrhosis HCC

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