Assessing TGF β1 Gene Expression as a Prognostic Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in HCV patients receiving Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAAs) Therapy

Ghanem, Samar Ebrahim; El Sayed, Ibrahim El Tantawy; Basuni, Ashraf A.; El Sabaawy, Dalia; Ismail, Abd El- Hamid A.; Elhawary, Rofaida Mohamed; Shebl, Nashwa Abuel-Fetuh; Saad, Warda Othman

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2024.273216.9395

Assessing TGF β1 Gene Expression as a Prognostic Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in HCV patients receiving Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAAs) Therapy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University

² Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University

³ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University

⁴ Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University

⁵ Hepatology and Gastroenterology department, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University

10.21608/ejchem.2024.273216.9395

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex and multifactorial disease. There is a considerable risk of developing HCC among HCV patients treated with direct acting antiviral therapies (DAAs). This study attempts to evaluate the role of tumor growth factor beta (TGF-β1) gene expression as a prognostic marker for the development of post-DAAs HCC. Methods: The study contained 220 participants distributed into four groups: de-novo HCC (Group 1, n=70), HCC after DAAs treatment (Group 2, n=50), HCV patients treated with DAAs without complications (Group 3, n=60), and a control group (Group 4, n=40). TGF-β1 gene-expression by Real Time PCR, routine investigations and clinical assessment were assessed for all participants. HCC de-novo exhibited significantly higher TGF-β1 gene expression than the other groups (P value 0.05. Overall survival analysis showed no significant association between TGF expression in either de novo or post-DAAs developed HCC. In conclusion, serum TGF-β1 emerges as a promising marker for the occurrence of post-DAAs Hepatocellular carcinoma, exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity. Regular monitoring of TGF-β1 levels in hepatitis C virus cases following DAAs treatment can serve as a potential marker for HCC development.

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