Assessing TGF β1 Gene Expression as a Prognostic Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in HCV patients receiving Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAAs) Therapy

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex and multifactorial disease. There is a considerable risk of developing HCC among HCV patients treated with direct acting antiviral therapies (DAAs). This study attempts to evaluate the role of tumor growth factor beta (TGF-β1) gene expression as a prognostic marker for the development of post-DAAs HCC. Methods: The study contained 220 participants distributed into four groups: de-novo HCC (Group 1, n=70), HCC after DAAs treatment (Group 2, n=50), HCV patients treated with DAAs without complications (Group 3, n=60), and a control group (Group 4, n=40). TGF-β1 gene-expression by Real Time PCR, routine investigations and clinical assessment were assessed for all participants. HCC de-novo exhibited significantly higher TGF-β1 gene expression than the other groups (P value 0.05. Overall survival analysis showed no significant association between TGF expression in either de novo or post-DAAs developed HCC. In conclusion, serum TGF-β1 emerges as a promising marker for the occurrence of post-DAAs Hepatocellular carcinoma, exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity. Regular monitoring of TGF-β1 levels in hepatitis C virus cases following DAAs treatment can serve as a potential marker for HCC development.