Syndecan 1 (CD138) serum levels: a novel biomarker in predicting liver fibrosis stage in patients with hepatitis C

January 7, 2009

Liver International

Volume 29 Issue 2, Pages 208 - 212

Published Online: 8 Aug 2008

CLINICAL STUDIES

Syndecan 1 (CD138) serum levels: a novel biomarker in predicting liver fibrosis

stage in patients with hepatitis C

Isabel Zvibel 1 , e Halfon 2 , Sigal Fishman 1 , Guillaume Penaranda 2 ,

Moshe Leshno 3 , Anat Bet Or 4 , Zamir Halpern 1 and Ran Oren 1

1 Gastroenterology Institute and Liver Unit, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center,

Weizmann 6, Tel Aviv, Israel

2 Laboratoire Alphabio, Marseille, France

3 Faculty of Management and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University,

Israel

4 Maccabi Clinic, Rehovoth, Israel

Correspondence

Isabel Zvibel, Gastroenterology Institute and Liver Unit, Tel Aviv Sourasky

Medical Center, Weizmann 6, Tel Aviv 64239, Israel

Tel: +972 3 697 4481

Fax: +972 3 697 4226

e-mail: isab@...

ABSTRACT

Background and Aims: Syndecan 1 (CD 138) is a cell surface proteoglycan shed by

cells in several pathological conditions, including wound healing. The aim of

this study was to test whether CD138 could serve as a non-invasive marker for

detection of liver fibrosis and thereby reduce the need for liver biopsy.

Patients and Methods: An estimation set of 134 patients and a validation set of

67 patients with chronic hepatitis C were studied. There were 80 normal healthy

volunteers. Patients were staged according to liver biopsies (Metavir fibrosis

staging, stage F0, n=35; F1, n=40; F2, n=37, F3, n=39; F4, n=51). Serum CD138

levels were retrospectively measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay the

same day of the liver biopsy. The primary endpoints were the diagnostic values

of CD138 for F2–F4, F3–F4 and F4.

Results: Respective areas under receiver operating characteristic curve of CD138

for F2–F4, F3–F4 and F4 diagnosis were 0.82, 0.76 and 0.81. CD138 had a positive

predictive value of 82% for F2–F4 diagnosis and a high negative predictive value

(86%) and specificity (84%) for exclusion of F4.

Conclusion: CD138 is a new simple non-invasive marker for predicting liver

fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The relevance of this marker in

combination with other fibrosis markers should be explored.

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Received 24 January 2008

Accepted 27 May 2008

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1478-3231.2008.01830.x

January 7, 2009