Is there a place for serum laminin determination in patients with liver disease and cancer?

Laminin is a glycoprotein which has an important role in the mechanism of fibrogenesis and is, thus, related to hepatic fibrosis in addition to presenting increased levels in several types of neoplasias. However, its determination is not routinely considered in the study of hepatic fibrosis. In this review, the authors critically comment on the role of this glycoprotein compared to other markers of fibrosis through non-invasive procedures (Fibroscan). They also consider its clinical investigational potential and believe that the continuation of these investigations might contribute to a better understanding of the fibrogenic mechanism, which could in turn either lead to the identification of patients at risk of developing fibrosis non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or at least be used as an indicator for hepatic biopsy in such patients. Finally, the authors believe that serum laminin determination might contribute to the diagnosis of epithelial tumor metastasis and peritoneal carcinomatosis.