الفهرس 
Liver biopsyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Egypt has the highest prevalence of HCV in the world. Chronic hepatitis C is a progressive disease characterized by liver injury and fibrosis. Approximately 20% of hepatitis C patients will develop cirrhosis and are at risk for the development of complications including liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma . Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer around the world and the third most frequent cause of cancer-related death. CD95 is an immunology protein that initiates one of the most important pathways to programmed cell death, or apoptosis, in the body. The aim of this study was to evaluate CD95 expression on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients infected with chronic hepatitis C compared to hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and healthy controls to use it as a prognostic marker of progressive liver diseases. This study included sixty tree patients (45 males and 18 females) their ages ranged from 34 to 65 years and 22 volunteers as control group (12 males and 10 females ) their ages ranged from 40 to 49 years. These patients were divided into three groups; control group: 22 apparently healthy volunteers. HCV group: 35 patients, 20 patients without treatment and 15 patients under interferon therapy. HCC group: 28 patients. Groups were subjected to full clinical examination, abdominal ultrasound, liver function tests, hepatitis viral markers (HBs Ag, HCV Ab), AFP and CD95 expression. The results showed the following : There was male predominance in patients with HCC and HCVThere was low serum albumin concentration and prolongation of prothrombin time among HCC group There was a statistically significant elevation of CD95 expression on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with HCC, HCV (without treatment, HCV under treatment) groups compared to control group and this elevation was more prominent among HCC group as CD95 may be produced by or closely linked with the tumor cells, or derived from infiltrating lymphocytes which are highly activated by HCC . • There was no correlation between CD95 and liver enzymes among HCC, HCV patients (without treatment and under treatment) groups. There was significant correlation between CD95 expression and GOT/GPT ratio, GOT/Plat ratio and GPT/Plat ratio and this may be due to the effect of interferon therapy on platelet count and other liver enzymes in HCV patients under treatment group. There was no significant statistical difference between CD95 expression and degree of viremia among HCV group. There was no significant statistical difference between CD95 expression in patients without treatment and patients under treatment among HCV group. Right lobe was predominantly more affected than left lobe among HCC group regarding focal lesions CD95 level in HCC patients showed highly significant elevation in multiple focal lesions in comparison to single focal lesion and this may be due to generation of CD95 by tumour cells or at least tumour related. As regarding tumor size, CD95 expression on PMNLs was significantly higher in HCC patients with tumor size ≥ 3cm than those with tumor size <3cm and this may be due to affection of CD95 expression by total mass volume. There was no correlation between CD95 and AFP among HCC patients.