Maeda T, Kanzaki H, Chiba T, et al. - Researchers used a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to assess whether serum fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) has the potential to serve as a new tumor marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study included 304 patients with HCC. The median FGF19 levels in controls were 78.8 pg/mL, in chronic liver disease patients were 100.1 pg/mL, and in primary HCC patients were 214.5 pg/mL. An optimal cut-off value of 200.0 pg/mL was successfully revealed via the subsequent ROC. For HCC detection, the AUC of FGF19 was comparable to those of alpha-fetoprotein and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin. Compared with the existing markers, a higher sensitivity for the identification of small HCC (solitary cancer with diameter < 20 mm) was displayed by FGF19. A shift in serum FGF19 levels from 257.4 pg/mL to 112.0 pg/mL posttreatment was detected in 45 HCC patients who received curative ablation therapy. The ability of FGF19 to serve as a potential new biomarker for HCC was indicated by the findings. Since FGF19 has resourceful use in different aspects of HCC management and treatment, it could likely assist in enhancing the prognosis in HCC patients, although FGF19 not inevitably be a proxy for existing markers.