Whether the Golgi protein 73 could be a diagnostic serological marker in hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta analysis

Abstract Background The Value of Golgi protein 73 (GP73) in the diagnosis of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial, especially in its differentiation between HCC and cirrhosis. Besides, some papers showed that GP73 levels are correlated with liver fibrosis. This study conducts a meta-analysis to evaluate the value of GP73 in diagnosing HCC and differential diagnosing HCC from liver cirrhosis. Methods 36 studies with a sample size of 8314 cases concerning the accuracy of GP73 in the diagnosis of HCC were selected through a systematic review. Seven of these studies included a total of 438 HCC samples and 426 cirrhosis samples and calculated the sensitivity and specificity of GP73 for differential diagnosing HCC from cirrhosis. QUADAS (quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies) was used to evaluate the quality of literature. Statistical analyses were performed using StataSE16 software. Results The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and the area under the curve were 0.79(95%CI 0.74–0.83),0.85(95%CI 0.80–0.89),5.4(95%CI 3.8–7.5), 0.25(95%CI 0.20–0.31), 22(95%CI 13–35), and 0.88 for GP73 diagnosing HCC;0.74(95%CI 0.64–0.81),0.70(95%CI 0.49–0.85),2.40(95%CI 1.3–4.7),0.38(95%CI 0.23–0.61),6(95%CI 2–19), and 0.78 for GP73 differential diagnosing HCC from liver cirrhosis. Conclusion The results suggest that GP73 has a high diagnostic value for HCC and a moderate value for differential diagnosis of HCC from liver cirrhosis.