Cutoff values of protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma

Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA-II) is a promising serum marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There are limited data on its cutoff value in HCC for Taiwanese cirrhosis patients. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of PIVKA-II levels in patients with suspected HCC. In total, 88 patients with chronic hepatitis and suspected HCC by ultrasound, elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) or PIVKA-II levels were consecutively enrolled. Their baseline characteristics and findings on dynamic phases of computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were examined. Sixty participants had cirrhosis and 34 had HCC. The median levels of PIVKA-II in non-cirrhosis and cirrhosis patients without or with HCC were 28.0, 48.0, and 847.0 mAU/mL, respectively. The optimal cutoff value of PIVKA-II in predicting HCC was 78.0 mAU/mL. Combining AFP with PIVKAII mildly increased its diagnostic performance for HCC, yielding higher specificity and positive predictive value. Significant factors predicting HCC in multivariate regression analysis were PIVKA >78.0 mAU/mL and fatty liver. Monitoring PIVKA-II level is suitable for noninvasively assessing HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis, particularly with AFP.