Effect of delta α-fetoprotein on the detection of liver cancer recurrence

Background We explored the ability of delta α-fetoprotein (ΔAFP) to detect recurrence in patients with liver cancer treated with hepatectomy. Methods A total of 1,846 patients diagnosed with local liver cancer who underwent hepatectomy at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were enrolled in the present study. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the cutoff value of ΔAFP at the last follow-up or recurrence. Results Recurrence occurred in 51.5% (950/1,846) of liver cancer patients. The cutoff value of ΔAFP was 1.295 ng/mL in our model. Sensitivity in our model was higher than the normal range for AFP level for detecting recurrence (59.8% vs. 43.8%), but specificity was similar (98.4% vs. 99.8%). ΔAFP in preoperative AFP-positive patients (77.16% vs. 63.28%) and AFP-negative patients (31.20% vs. 11.70%) was more sensitive than normal AFP. ΔAFP was superior to AFP in the early (78.13% vs. 63.75%) or late recurrence (56.08% vs. 39.75%) of liver cancer. Moreover, in 18.3% of patients with recurrence (174/950), ΔAFP detected recurrence earlier than computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging by 158.33 days. ΔAFP during follow-up indicated a worse prognosis after hepatectomy. Conclusions The cutoff value of ΔAFP is more sensitive for monitoring recurrence than a normal AFP level in liver cancer patients.