Composite Blood Marker Testing for Primary Liver Cancer Prognosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting primary liver cancer in patients with chronic liver disease are inefficient, as they often result in low specificity and sensitivity, leading to unnecessary medical examinations and missed diagnoses, and there is a need for a non-invasive test to identify patients at high risk of developing liver cancer to enable early detection and treatment.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive quantitative test that combines the measured values of various biochemical blood markers, such as alpha2-macroglobulin, apolipoprotein A-I, and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase, through a logistic regression function to determine a patient's risk of developing primary liver cancer over a given period, allowing for targeted surveillance and early detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If regular surveillance is proposed to all patients with chronic liver disease, then early detection of liver cancer is improved, but the number of unnecessary medical examinations increases and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the population of patients with chronic liver disease into different risk classes (low, intermediate, high risk) based on a composite score derived from multiple biochemical markers. This segmentation allows targeted surveillance to be applied only to high-risk patients, reducing unnecessary examinations for low-risk patients while maintaining early detection capability for those who need it most.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from binary surveillance (all patients receive surveillance or none) to a graded approach based on risk parameters. By using a composite scoring system that combines multiple biochemical markers (AFP, DCP, CA 19-9, CA 125), the system dynamically adjusts surveillance intensity based on individual patient risk profiles, optimizing both detection reliability and resource utilization.
2Measurement precision
If blood markers such as AFP are used for diagnosis, then detection capability is improved, but sensitivity and specificity remain insufficient leading to false positives and false negatives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple blood markers (AFP, DCP, CA 19-9, CA 125) into a single composite scoring system. By combining the information from these markers through a logarithmic function, the system achieves superior sensitivity and specificity compared to using any single marker alone, while reducing false positives and false negatives through the synergistic effect of multiple markers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite diagnostic tool by integrating multiple biochemical markers into a unified scoring system. This composite approach leverages the complementary strengths of different markers, where some markers may be elevated in certain cancer types while others remain normal, thereby improving overall detection accuracy and reliability.
3Reliability
If imaging examinations are performed for all patients with chronic liver disease, then detection of liver cancer is improved, but the number of unnecessary examinations and associated costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing patients into risk classes that determine their surveillance intensity. High-risk patients (with elevated composite scores) receive imaging examinations and intensive surveillance, while low-risk patients (with normal composite scores) undergo only basic monitoring. This stratification reduces the number of unnecessary imaging examinations while maintaining high detection reliability for those most likely to have cancer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary risk assessment using the composite biochemical marker score before initiating imaging surveillance. This preliminary action filters out low-risk patients who would not benefit from imaging, thereby reducing the overall number of examinations while ensuring that high-risk patients receive timely and appropriate imaging detection.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to new methods for assessing the risk of a patient, in particular with chronic liver disease, to develop primary liver cancer over time, using functions combining blood biochemical markers.