Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein predicts the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Aim: As it is not practical to perform regular screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in all patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), there is a need to identify NAFLD patients who are at high risk for HCC. Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA -M2BP) has been shown to be a surrogate marker for predicting HCC as well as a liver fibrosis marker in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C. The aim of this study was to investigate whether WFA -M2BP predicts HCC development in NAFLD patients.

Methods: Serum WFA -M2BP was retrospectively measured in 331 patients with histologically proven NAFLD, 51 of whom developed HCC. The association of WFA -M2BP and HCC development in NAFLD patients was investigated.

Results: The WFA -M2BP values were significantly greater in NAFLD patients with HCC than in those without HCC among patients with liver fibrosis ≥stage 3. Multivariate analysis identified WFA -M2BP as one of the predictive factors for HCC development (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.083-2.265; P = 0.017). The optimal cut-off index of WFA -M2BP for predicting HCC was 1.255 with specificity of 78.4% and sensitivity of 70.4%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value for the prediction of HCC development was 0.806. The cumulative incidence rate of HCC was significantly greater in patients with WFA -M2BP ≥ 1.255 (n = 61) than in those with WFA -M2BP < 1.255 (n = 137) among patients who were followed up for more than 2 years after the diagnosis of NAFLD.

Conclusions: Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein predicts HCC development and is a useful surrogate marker for identifying NAFLD patients who are at a high risk for HCC.