Comparative Prognostic Value of AFP, PIVKA-II, and GPC-3 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Real-World Multicenter Cohort Study

Background/Objectives: The current cornerstone for prognostic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stratification is the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) score, which integrates tumor and liver function staging but lacks tumor biology parameters. Serum tumor biomarkers, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), protein induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II), and glypican-3 (GPC-3), may improve prognostic assessment. We evaluated their prognostic value in this multicenter retrospective study.