Identification of tumor-associated antigens by using SEREX in hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim: To identify biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Screening the HCC cDNA library with HCC patients sera. Isolated proteins were used as antigens to detect antibodies from patients with HCC and control sera. Results: Eighty-one positive clones were identified. The frequencies of autoantibody against five HCC-associated antigens were higher in HCC than that in chronic hepatitis and normal human sera. The sensitivity and specificity of KRT23, AHSG and FTL antigens combination tests up to 98.2% in joint test and 90.0% in series test separately. Conclusions: HCC associate antigens identified from this study supply candidate markers of diagnosis, combined detection and immunotherapy of HCC. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.