Serum Liver‐Type Fatty Acid–Binding Protein Is a Possible Prognostic Factor in Human Chronic Liver Diseases From Chronic Hepatitis to Liver Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) is a key regulator of fatty acid metabolism, but serum L-FABP levels are not well investigated in chronic liver diseases. We aimed to elucidate the prognostic ability of serum L-FABP in human chronic liver diseases and compare it with the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score. In 242 chronic liver disease patients, including chronic hepatitis (CH, n = 100), liver cirrhosis (LC, n = 142), and presence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n = 144), serum L-FABP levels were correlated with liver function (<i>P</i> < 0.0001), increased in LC compared with CH (<i>P</i> < 0.01), and correlated to ALBI score (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). Serum L-FABP levels were increased in the presence of HCC (<i>P</i> < 0.0001), correlating to des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (<i>P</i> < 0.0001), alpha-fetoprotein (<i>P</i> = 0.009), and Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer stage. In the average follow-up period of 1,054 days, serum L-FABP levels were elevated (<i>P</i> < 0.0001) in patients who eventually died. The area under the curve (AUC) of serum L-FABP (0.764) was higher than that of ALB (0.709), and the patients with serum L-FABP ≤ 6.8 ng/mL had significantly longer rates of survival (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). Serum L-FABP (hazard ratio [HR] 4.0; <i>P</i> < 0.001), HCC (HR 3.7; <i>P</i> = 0.001), ALBI score (HR 2.7; <i>P</i> < 0.001), and age (HR 1.0; <i>P</i> = 0.049) were independent predictors of survival. In the subgroup who maintained liver function, the AUC of serum L-FABP (0.751) was higher than that of ALB (0.643). In this subgroup, serum L-FABP (HR 4.4; <i>P</i> = 0.002) and HCC (HR 13.9; <i>P</i> < 0.001) were independent predictors of survival. <i>Conclusion:</i> Serum L-FABP is a possible predictor of survival in chronic liver diseases from CH to LC and HCC, including any subgroup that maintains liver function.