Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
A Three-Dimensional Spheroid Model to Investigate the Tumor-Stromal Interaction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Published on: September 30, 2021
Recent advances in tumor markers of human hepatocellular carcinoma
1Department of Internal Medicine and WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Viral Hepatitis, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea. yoonsk@catholic.ac.kr
Insights
Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial for improving patient survival. Developing sensitive and specific tumor markers for HCC is essential for timely diagnosis and better prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Oncology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death globally and in Korea.
- Poor prognosis persists for HCC, even post-surgery, due to frequent association with chronic liver disease (e.g., hepatitis B/C).
- Advanced HCC diagnosis correlates with extremely poor outcomes, highlighting the need for early detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the critical need for developing novel tumor markers for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma detection.
- To outline the essential characteristics of an ideal HCC tumor marker: sensitivity, specificity, ease of measurement, reproducibility, and minimal invasiveness.
- To underscore the necessity of validating newly discovered HCC biomarkers in large-scale clinical studies for practical implementation.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and tumor marker development.
- Discussion of potential candidate markers, including DNA-, RNA-, and protein-based molecules.
- Consideration of various assessment technologies like serological assays, microarrays, mass spectrometry, and proteomics.
Main Results:
- Current diagnostic and prognostic tools for HCC are insufficient, leading to poor patient outcomes.
- The development of sensitive and specific biomarkers is paramount for differentiating early HCC from premalignant lesions.
- Significant gaps exist in the validation and cost-effectiveness assessment of potential HCC biomarkers.
Conclusions:
- Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through reliable tumor markers is vital for improving patient survival rates.
- Ideal HCC biomarkers must be sensitive, specific, easily measurable, reproducible, and minimally invasive.
- Extensive validation in large-scale clinical studies is required before widespread adoption of new HCC biomarkers.
Abstract:
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most devastating malignancies in the world and is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in Korea. Because most HCC are accompanied by chronic liver disease that results from hepatitis B or C viruses, prognosis is still poor even after surgical resection of the tumor. Moreover, diagnosis of advanced HCC still leads to an extremely bleak prognosis. Earlier detection of HCC, therefore, could improve patient survival. Accordingly, the development of tumor markers that can detect HCC at even earlier stages is essential. The functions of tumor markers include prediction of prognosis or therapeutic response as well as diagnosis or screening of cancer. Possible candidate tumor markers may be quantitative alterations in DNA-, RNA- or protein-based molecules in tumorous conditions assessed by various technologies, e.g. serological assays, microarrays, mass spectrometry and proteomics. However, validation and clinical implementation is needed after the discovery of novel genes. An ideal tumor marker for HCC would be sensitive and specific enabling to differentiate it at an early stage from premalignant lesions like dysplastic nodules. In addition, the marker should be easily measurable, reproducible and minimally invasive. Although it is important to identify new biomarkers for HCC, the validation and cost-effectiveness of those markers as diagnostic or prognostic tools need confirmation in large-scale studies in clinical practice.
