IHC, Glypican 3 Test

Glypican 3 (GPC3) is a protein found in the embryo involves the morphology of the child growth in mother's womb. Its expression is reduced or even silenced in adults. The Immunohistochemistry (IHC) suggests, If this protein is found in elevated quantity then it is a sign of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Hepatocellular Carcinoma is a type of the tumor that has a lot of GPC3 expression in it. This GPC3 is called marker of HCC because it helps to find the variation among three type of tumor occurrence in case of liver cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) are the three types of carcinogens in liver cancer. The GPC3 is the clear indicator of fine HCC.

To find the GPC3 Expression the test is applied to serum collected from the human blood. The patient should be checked if they have symptoms like lumpy feeling near the rib cage, pain in upper abdomen, weight loss, dark urine, fatigue, and nausea. To know the patient's lifestyle, habits, current health condition and current medications. This test requires blood test initially and then followed by several scans and tests to know more about cancer. Fasting time of 4 – 8 hours is necessary.

GPC3 can be found in the blood in earlier stages of Cancer. Cancer is a curable disease if it is recognized at an early stage. So it is a life-saving test for cancer patients.

It helps to identify the specific type of tumor, so the medications and treatment can be more specific.

When this initial test confirms the HCC, Further tests target the HCC to understand the level of the tumor.

It is better to approach the physician immediately when these symptoms show up. The fatigue and weight loss is generally considered as anemia and may be treated mistakenly. It is better to go to the serum test also to check if it is the symptom of cancer.