Thyroxine-binding globulin in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Summary er to evaluate the possible relevance of the increased serum levels of thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) in elderly patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), TBG and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were measured in 3 groups: (i) 14 healthy subjects (mean age: 74 ± 2 years); (ii) 15 patients with cirrhosis of the liver (mean age: 70 ± 1 years); (iii) 17 patients with cirrhosis and HCC (mean age: 71 ± 1 years). Both TBG and AFP levels were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the patients with HCC, as compared to the healthy subjects or to the cirrhotic ones without HCC. The increased plasma TBG levels in cirrhotic patients with HCC is probably due to a derepression of the TBG gene in hepatocytes undergoing neoplastic transformation. The results suggest that TBG together with AFP may be of diagnostic value for the presence of HCC in aging patients with liver cirrhosis.