Table 3.

Comparison of serum levels of significant cytokines between patients with live cirrhosis and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Cytokines	LC vs HCC
Adiponectin	b↓
Adipsin	a↓
CXCL12	a↑
Ghrelin	b↑
HGF	a↑
IL-16	b↑
IL-18	a↑
IL-2R	b↑
PECAM-1	a↑
Prolactin	a↑
sHER-2/neu	a↑
sIL-6Ra	a↑

P value was calculated using Mann-Whitney U test. ^aP value < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, Up- and down-arrows indicate an increase/decrease in the serum concentrations in patient groups vs healthy controls. HCC:Hepatocellular carcinoma; LC: Liver cirrhosis; IL: Interleukin; HGF: Hepatocyte growth factor.