Published 2025-07-01
license
Article of Review (before OJS)

Utility of the PIVKA II biomarker as a tool for earlydetection of hepatocarcinoma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22490/24629448.9972
Willinton Eraso Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca
Brandon Alexander Gutiérrez Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca
Jennifer Carolina Gutiérrez Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca
Carmen Cecilia Almonacid Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common liver neoplasm and one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide. Early detection is crucial to improve prognoses and survival, yet most patients are diagnosed at advanced tumor stages, resulting in the loss of valuable treatment opportunities. Despite the standardized use of imaging such as biannual ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein measurement, screening remains suboptimal. Therefore, PIVKA-II has been proposed as a clinically useful biomarker in early diagnosis, even in the context of negative alpha-fetoprotein measurement, with high sensitivity and specificity for detection of small tumors and high discriminatory ability for differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma of viral or metabolic etiology. PIVKA-II is an anomalous form of prothrombin, with absence of γ-carboxylation on one or more of its glutamic acid residues,altering its interaction with other factors of the coagulation cascade. This post-translational modification is favored by a decrease in the enzymatic activity of γ-glutamyl carboxylase in the context of the tumor microenvironment. Multiple controversies arise regarding the optimal cut-off values for screening, the most appropriate measurement methods and its diagnostic performance in isolation or in combination with other biomarkers.

keywords: PIVKA-II, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Alpha-Fetoprotein, Tumor Biomarkers, Vitamin K Deficiency
license

How to Cite

Eraso, W., Gutiérrez, B. A. ., Gutiérrez, J. C. ., & Almonacid, C. C. . (2025). Utility of the PIVKA II biomarker as a tool for earlydetection of hepatocarcinoma. NOVA Biomedical Sciences Journal, 23(44). https://doi.org/10.22490/24629448.9972
Almétricas
Metrics
Metrics Loading ...

PRIVACY STATEMENT: In accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law (Law 1581 of 2012), the names and email addresses managed by Revista NOVA will be used exclusively for the purposes stated by this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other individual. Manuscripts submitted to the publication are only accessible to the editorial team and external peer reviewers.

Design and implemented by