Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents about 90% of primary liver cancers. In Egypt, it represents the fourth common cancer. Main risk factor for HCC is cirrhosis of liver that caused by different causes including viral hepatitis, alcohol, NAFLD, metabolic (Wilson disease, hemochromatosis), autoimmune liver disease, and Aflatoxin. As many types of cancer aberrant lipid profile may be present in HCC patients which may be related to aggressiveness of the tumor.
Aim : To evaluate the association between serum lipid profile abnormalities and the aggressiveness of HCC.
Methods : 150 participant were included in the study, divided into 3 groups: sixty patients with HCC diagnosed by ultrasound and confirmed by Triphasic CT, sixty patients with HCV related chronic liver disease and thirty apparently healthy individuals as a control. All participants were subjected to: full history taking, full clinical examination, laboratory investigations (CBC, RBS, ESR, serum creatinine, liver profile and lipid profile “total cholesterol, TG, LDL, HDL, VLDL, HDL LDL ratio”) and radiological examination (ultrasound, Triphasic CT).
Results: The results showed that HCC patients had low total cholesterol, HDL, LDL compared to normal group, LDL had weak positive correlation with the combination of all four tumor aggressiveness parameters together (the Tumor Aggressiveness Index) and mean HDL was significantly higher in those with PVT than those without.
Conclusion: HCC patients had low levels of serum lipid profile (TC, HDL, and LDL), Plasma LDL had weak positive correlation with aggressiveness index of HCC, HDL was significantly higher in those with PVT.