Determination of serum des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin levels in patients with small-sized hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of the conventional enzyme immunoassay and two modified methods.

Abstract

Two modifications of the conventional EIA for DCP comparably increased the sensitivity, but the overnight method may be of more practical value in terms of specificity and ease. The rate of detection of small-sized HCC by tumor markers alone, however, is not satisfactory even when the modified DCP and AFP measurements are combined.