Serum Markers of Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition as Predictors of HCV-induced Liver Fibrosis, Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Egypt, leading to hepatic fibrosis, liver cirrhosis (LC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). Newly-recognized pathogenic mechanisms point to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of hepatocytes to matrix synthesizing (myo-) fibroblasts.