Personalized translational medicine:Investigating YKL-40 as early biomarker for clinical risk stratification in hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence post-liver transplantation  

作　　者：Ileana Lulic Dinka Lulic Jadranka Pavicic Saric Iva Bacak Kocman Dunja Rogic 

机构地区：[1]Department of Anesthesiology,Intensive Care and Pain Medicine,Clinical Hospital Merkur,Zagreb 10000,Croatia [2]Immediate Medical Care Unit,Saint James Hospital,Sliema SLM-1030,Malta [3]Department of Laboratory Diagnostics,University Hospital Centre Zagreb,Zagreb 10000,Croatia [4]Department of Medical Biochemistry and Hematology,Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry,Zagreb 10000,Croatia

出　　处：《World Journal of Transplantation》2025年第2期1-7,共7页世界移植杂志(英文)

摘　　要：Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)recurrence after liver transplantation(LT)presents a significant challenge,with recurrence rates ranging from 8%to 20%globally.Current biomarkers,such as alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin(DCP),lack specificity,limiting their utility in risk strati-fication.YKL-40,a glycoprotein involved in extracellular matrix remodeling,hepatic stellate cell activation,and immune modulation,has emerged as a promising biomarker for post-LT surveillance.Elevated serum levels of YKL-40 are associated with advanced liver disease,tumor progression,and poorer post-LT outcomes,highlighting its potential to address gaps in early detection and personalized management of HCC recurrence.This manuscript synthesizes clinical and mechanistic evidence to evaluate YKL-40’s predictive utility in post-LT care.While preliminary findings demonstrate its specificity for liver-related pathologies,challenges remain,including assay standardization,lack of pro-spective validation,and the need to distinguish between malignant and non-malignant causes of elevated levels.Integrating YKL-40 into multi-biomarker panels with AFP and DCP could enhance predictive accuracy and enable tailored therapeutic strategies.Future research should focus on multicenter studies to validate YKL-40’s clinical utility,address confounding factors like graft rejection and systemic inflammation,and explore its role in predictive models driven by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.YKL-40 holds transformative potential in reshaping post-LT care through precision medicine,providing a pathway for better outcomes and improved management of high-risk LT recipients.

关 键 词：Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence Liver transplantation Personalized translational medicine Biomarkers YKL-40 Risk stratification 

分 类 号：R73[医药卫生—肿瘤]