Blood tests enhance differentiation between liver cancer types

A study involving 165 patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) identified alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) as key tumor markers for accurate preoperative differentiation. Elevated white blood cell counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, and monocyte counts were linked to increased ICC risk, while higher lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratios indicated protection. The predictive model achieved an area under the curve of 0.791, improving diagnostic strategies for personalized treatment in primary liver cancer.