Objectives: To evaluate the clinical advantage of the ratio of serum ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Design and methods: Serum levels of hepatic enzyme markers and their combinations were evaluated and compared with those of two other markers for HCC.
Results: OCT/ALT was significantly higher in case of HCC than chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis. Its sensitivity (64.3%) was higher than those of alpha-fetoprotein and PIVKA-II (21.4% and 42.9%, respectively). Fluctuations of OCT/ALT before and after treatment were similar to those of alpha-fetoprotein.
Conclusions: OCT/ALT is a potent indicator for the diagnosis and the prognosis of HCC.