Clinical relevance of serum endoglin level in Egyptian hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Background: In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), preferential expression of endoglin on endothelial cells of the tumor vasculature versus neoplastic cells has led to the suggestion that it originates from the neovasculature and plays an important role in angiogenesis. Our study aimed to evaluate the role of serum endoglin in the diagnosis of HCC and to correlate it with other studied prognostic markers.

Methods: Sixty hepatocellular carcinoma patients were studied, 60 cirrhotic patients and 45 matched healthy controls.