Screening of Volatile Markers for B & P atocellular Carcinoma

ownloade kground: Breath analysis became promising for noninvasive diagnoses of cancer with sophisticated ometry technology introduced. This study aimed to screen volatile markers for hepatocellular oma (HCC). thods: Breath samples were collected from 30 HCC patients who were comorbid with type B hepatitis rrhosis and from 27 hepatocirrhosis patients and 36 healthy persons, both taken as controls. The volatile ic compounds in the samples were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and the rs were selected by comparing their levels between groups. Each of the markers was evaluated by reoperating characteristic (ROC) curves and a discriminant function using the markers was established. lationships of α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and clinical stages with the concentrations of the markers were vestigated. ults: 3-Hydroxy-2-butanone, styrene, and decane were screened as potential markers, among which roxy-2-butanone was found to have the best diagnostic value. The diagnostic function using these rs had a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 91.7% between HCC patients and normal controls sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 91.7% by cross-validation. No statistically significance (P > as found for the concentration differences of these markers between HCC patients with AFP >400 0 μg/L or between stage I-II and stage III-IV patients. clusion: These volatile organic compounds could be useful as breath markers of HCC patients, ndent of AFP levels or clinical stages. indepe Impact: Breath analysis could be useful for early diagnosis of HCC, especially for AFP-negative HCC. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(9); 2247–53. ©2010 AACR.