• Yuki Ichikawa, Satoru Joshita, Takeji Umemura, Yugo Shobugawa, Yoko Usami, Soichiro Shibata, Tomoo Yamazaki, Naoyuki Fujimori, Michiharu Komatsu, Akihiro Matsumoto, and Eiji Tanaka.
• Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
• Hepatol Res. 2017 Feb 1; 47 (2): 226-233.

AimSerum glycosylated Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA+ -M2BP) is a reliable, non-invasive marker of liver fibrosis. This study assessed the ability of WFA+ -M2BP to diagnose liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and evaluated WFA+ -M2BP as a predictor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development.MethodsSerum WFA+ -M2BP values were retrospectively evaluated in 112 treatment-naïve patients with HBV-related chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis who had undergone liver biopsy at our hospital.ResultsSerum WFA+ -M2BP levels were significantly related with liver fibrosis (r = 0.3725, P = 0.001). Fibrosis stage F2, F3, and F4 had a cut-off index of 0.94, 1.26, and 1.26, respectively. For diagnosing F ≥ 2 fibrosis, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for WFA+ -M2BP was 0.713 and comparable with those of other non-invasive fibrosis markers, such as hyaluronic acid, type IV collagen 7S, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index, fibrosis-4 index, serum albumin, and platelet count. Multivariate analysis identified male, WFA+ -M2BP ≥0.71, alanine aminotransferase ≥80 IU/L, and platelet count <14.5 × 109 /L as independent risk factors for the development of HCC in patients with HBV infection.ConclusionsSerum WFA+ -M2BP values appear to be useful for assessing liver fibrosis stage and are independently associated with HCC development in patients with chronic HBV infection.© 2016 The Japan Society of Hepatology.

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