Objective  To investigate the clinical value of serum Glogi glycoprotein 73 (GP73) and its combination to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and CA199 for the diagnosis of primary hepatic cancer (PHC).

  Methods  Sera from 110 patients (50 hepatic cancer, 20 hepatitis, 20 liver cirrhosis, and 20 malignant tumors of the digestive system except hepatic cancer) and 20 healthy controls were collected.Serum GP73 was analyzed by enzyme-1inked immunosorbent assay.The levels of AFP and CA199 were quantified by electrochemiluminescence immunoassays.

  Results  The median serum GP73 concentration of PHC (104.4 μg/L) was higher than that of hepatitis (22.7 μg/L), liver cirrhosis (53.8 μg/L), malignant tumors of the digestive system except hepatic cancer (41.4 μg/L), and healthy controls (19.3 μg/L) significantly (P < 0.05).The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to diagnose PHC by GP73 alone were 72.0%, 95.0% and 86.2%, respectively, and were higher than that of AFP or CA199 alone.GP73's sensitivity was highest (92.0%) for the parallel test of GP73, AFP, and CA199;its specificity was highest (100.0%) for the series-wound test of GP73, AFP, and CA199;and its accuracy was the highest (87.7%) for the parallel test of GP73 and AFP.The area under the ROC curve of GP73 was 0.824, which is higher than that of AFP or CA199 alone.The serum GP73 level was not significantly correlated with that of AFP or CA199.

  Conclusion  GP73 is a new effective marker in the diagnosis of PHC, and the combined examination of GP73, AFP, and CA199 can improve the diagnosis value of PHC.