Plasma levels of growth‐related oncogene (<scp>CXCL</scp>1‐3) associated with fibrosis and platelet counts in <scp>HCV</scp>‐infected patients

Abstract

The association with severity of fibrosis and platelet count positions plasma GRO as a potential biomarker for liver fibrosis in HCV-infected patients. The secretion of GRO by platelets may explain the correlation between GRO plasma level and platelet count. The ethnic difference in GRO levels both pre-treatment and in response to pegIFN/RBV might be driven by a genetic polymorphism in GROα associated with higher plasma levels and more common in the African-American population.