MicroRNAs as biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma: a diagnostic meta-analysis

Numerous studies reported various microRNAs (miRNAs) could be novel serum biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the diagnostic ability of different miRNA biomarkers varies among the reports. In this paper, we made a meta-analysis about the diagnostic accuracy of miRNAs for HCC.

We systematically searched The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Pub Med, EMBASE, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the China Academic Journals Full-text Database, and the Chinese Scientific Journals Database for potential studies. Studies were included if they were related to miRNAs and HCC and reported diagnostic outcomes. Diagnostic values analysis was used to summarize the overall test performance of miRNAs.

Eight studies were included in this meta-analysis. The ranges of the diagnostic value of miRNAs for HCC were as follows: sensitivity was 0.72 - 0.98, pooled sensitivity was 0.87; specificity was 0.76 - 1.00, pooled specificity was 0.90; positive likelihood ratio was 3.52 - 97.45, pooled positive likelihood ratio was 8.70; negative likelihood ratio was 0.02 - 0.31, pooled negative likelihood ratio was 0.13; and diagnostic odds ratio was 19.06 - 2,646.00, pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 86.69.

MiRNAs showed high accuracy in identifying HCC, and could be a useful screening tool for diagnosing HCC patients.