Test to Detect Early Liver Cirrhosis

A new test that requires only a small amount of blood is designed to detect early liver cirrhosis, eliminating the need for a biopsy--the current way to detect cirrhosis--and enabling doctors to begin treatment.

The test was developed by researchers at VIB, the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (Ghent, Belgium). In a test group of patients, the test detected 70-80% of the early liver cirrhoses, without misdiagnosing a single patient. The test detects changes in the quantities of various sugars produced by the liver, which take place during the transition from fibrosis to cirrhosis. The researchers have been able to measure these sugar changes very accurately with advanced instrumentation used for genetic testing.

The major causes of chronic liver disease are infection by a hepatitis virus and excessive use of alcohol. More than 500 metabolic functions take place in the liver, including the clearing of toxic substances from the body and the production of proteins that coagulate the blood following wounds. In all, liver disorders are the third cause of death among people between the ages of 40 and 65.

One aspect of chronic liver disease is liver fibrosis, in which connective tissue grows throughout the liver, disrupting the composition of the organ and its functioning. This fibrosis can evolve slowly or rapidly. One of the final stages is cirrhosis. When a patient develops cirrhosis, the chance of liver cancer rises dramatically to 25-40 times higher than in healthy people. In a very advanced stage of cirrhosis, the liver can no longer function. A liver transplant is then the only possible remedy.

To treat liver fibrosis, doctors must know the stage of disease, and when cirrhosis sets in, they need to start tracking the possible development of cancer. Therefore, early detection of cirrhosis would be extremely helpful. The new test is now being perfected, according to the researchers. They hope to produce a test that shows 100% specificity for cirrhosis of the liver. The test could then be used to follow patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection. An annual test could quickly detect a change and be able to predict an early stage of cirrhosis.

"We hope to be able to alert patients when the chance of liver cancer increases sharply. At that moment, the doctor can test frequently for the presence of cancer cells and detect the cancer early enough so that the patient can quite possibly be helped,” said Dr. Nico Callewaert, one of the VIB researchers.

VIB is a research institute where 800 scientists conduct gene technologic research in a number of life-science areas, such as human healthcare and plant systems biology. Through a joint venture with four Flemish Universities (Ghent University, the Catholic University of Leuven, the University of Antwerp, and the Free University of Brussels) and a solid funding program for strategic research, VIB unites the forces of the various science departments in a single institute.