A Circulating Long Noncoding RNA Panel Serves as a Diagnostic Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Circulating long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging biomarkers for cancer diagnosis.
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis can be improved with novel biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of eight serum lncRNAs (HULC, MALAT1, Linc00152, PTENP1, PTTG3P, SPRY4-IT1, UBE2CP3, UCA1) and their combinations for HCC.
• To establish a multi-lncRNA panel for improved HCC detection.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure serum lncRNA levels in 129 HCC patients, 49 liver cirrhosis patients, 27 chronic hepatitis B patients, and 93 healthy controls.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were employed to assess diagnostic capacity.
• Logistic regression modeling was used to develop a diagnostic panel.

Main Results:

• Seven serum lncRNAs (HULC, MALAT1, Linc00152, PTTG3P, SPRY4-IT1, UBE2CP3, UCA1) were significantly elevated in HCC patients.
• Linc00152 demonstrated the highest diagnostic performance as a single biomarker (AUC = 0.877).
• A panel combining Linc00152, UCA1, and AFP achieved the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.912) with 82.9% sensitivity and 88.2% specificity.

Conclusions:

• A serum panel of Linc00152, UCA1, and AFP serves as a promising noninvasive biomarker for HCC diagnosis.
• This multi-lncRNA panel offers high sensitivity and specificity, potentially improving early detection rates for HCC.