Distinction of hepatic metastases from hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) can present some difficulties. Arginase-1 is a marker recently described in the literature as a new highly specific and sensitive polyclonal antibody for HCC detection. As a result, Arginase-1, HepPar-1 and Glypican-3 are essential markers for HCC to metastatic tumors differentiation.
A polyclonal antibody Arginase-1 had been identified as a sensitive and specific marker for HCC but recently a new monoclonal rabbit antibody Arginase-1 has been developed. It has been shown to have better sensitivity and specificity for HCC. In conclusion, this monoclonal antibody represents a potential new marker for the differential diagnosis of primary HCC versus tumors of unknown origin.