Abstract

In an attempt to verify the possibility that serum ferritin and serum ferritin/transamin- ases ratio might be an useful marker in the diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma, we checked serum ferritin level as well as serum ferritin/transaminases ratio in 52 Patients with chronic liver diseases including primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Serum ferritin level in patients with liver cirrhosis(28l+- 4.83ug/L, mean: SE) and with hepatocellular carcinoma(321+- 29.73 ug/L, mean -SE) were significantly(p(0. 0005) elevated in comparison to normal control group(78. 33+-4. 24 ug/L, mean SE), but no statistical significance was observed between the patient groups of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, we also failed to observe a significant difference of serum ferritin/transaminases ratio in patients with liver cirrhosis(8.30+-1.63, mean SE) and with hepatocellular carcinoma(8.46+-1.62, mean+-SE). The results of this study, therefore, would indicate that serum ferritin determination seems to be not helful in the differential diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.