الفهرس 
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Abstract
HCC is the fifth most common cancer in the world, and the third most common cause of cancer mortality that kills more than 645,000 people around the world each year. The major predisposing factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma is cirrhosis of the liver.
There are several aetiological factors that have been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma mainly chronic viral HBV or HCV infection. Approximately 80 to 90% of hepatocellular carcinomas occurin a cirrhotic liver.
Liver cirrhosis is the final stage of various chronic liver diseases, defined as a diffuse alteration of hepatic architecture by the presence of necrosis, fibrosis and regenerative nodules
More than 80% of cases occur in developing countries. Among primary liver cancers occurring worldwide, HCC is the most common, accounting for 70-85% of liver tumors.
Ahigh incidence rate of HCC has been reported according to registry of cancer institutes in Egypt , This rising incidence of HCC in Egypt may be explained by the increasing prevalence of risk factors such as hepatitis C virus infection (HCV).
Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) report estimated a prevalence of HCV 14.9% for the sampled population of 11126 aged 15–59 in 2008. Prevalence increased with age, with 55–59 year olds showing a rate of 39.4%. Overall prevalence was 17.4% in males and 12.2% in females .
Prolactin (PRL) is a polypeptide hormone synthesized and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, placenta, decidua, and by various immune system cells. PRL has a wide variety of target tissues, including mammary gland, prostate, ovary, cells of the immune system, adipocytes, liver, and other tissues.
Prolactin is a pleiotropic hormone with an established role in the molecular carcinogenesis of breast cancer and other malignacies.
Increased circulating prolactin levels, high p-JAK2 expression, and generation of liver cancer cells through PRLR/JAK2 signaling have all been proposed as mechanisms that could contribute to the development of HCC. demonstrated significantly higher serum levels of prolactin in people with HCC, and this significant relationship existed irrespective of gender, age, or BMI .
Aim of this work is to evaluate serum prolactin as a potential tumor marker in detection of hepatocellular carcinoma
This study was carried out on 80 cirrhotic patients . They included 50 males and 30 females, their age ranged from 40 to 71 years.
The patients were subdivided into two groups HCC group consists of 40 patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhotic group consists of 40 patients with liver cirrhosis. In addition 10 healthy individual were enrolled as a control group (7males and3 females), their age ranged from 48 to 61 years.
There was highly significant statistical difference among studied groups regarding AFP and PRL. There was higher level of PRL in HCC group patients than level of PRL in cirrhotic group
patients and controls. There was higher level of AFP in HCC group patients than level of AFP in cirrhotic group patients and controls.
There is positive correlation between polactin and APRI index and tumour size among HCC group.There was a positive correlation between prolactin and AFP.
In conclusion we have found significantly elevated serum prolactin in HCC patients as a promising and potentially complementary biomarker with AFP that may offer more effective early detection of HCC. Prolactin is a cheap, rapid, and accessible method of better detection of HCC especially in developing countries.