Related Experiment Video For Circulating cell-free DNA
Updated: Jul 26, 2025
Mass Cytometry Analysis of Systemic and Local Immune Responses in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Published on: April 25, 2025
Detection of Circulating Cell-free DNA to Diagnose Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chinese Population: A Systematic
Amir Hossein Aalami1,2, Farnoosh Aalami3, Ehsan Kargar Aliabadi4
1Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, College of Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Background:
Cell-free circulating DNA has been known for many years, but this knowledge has not been beneficial for diagnosis. In this meta-analysis, we examine the diagnostic role of circulating cell-free DNA in HCC patients to find a reliable biomarker for the early detection of HCC.
Materials And Methods:
We performed a systematic literature search using Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Embase, up to April 1st, 2022. Meta-Disc V.1.4 and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis V.3.3 software calculated the pooled specificity, sensitivity, area under the curve (AUC), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) Q*index, and summary receiver-- operating characteristic (SROC) for the role of cfDNA as a biomarker for HCC patients. Moreover, the subgroup analyses have been performed based on sample types (serum/plasma) and detection methods (MS-PCR/methylation).
Results:
A total of 7 articles (9 studies) included 697 participants (485 cases and 212 controls). The overall pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC) were 0.706 (95% CI: 0.671 - 0.739), 0.905 (95% CI: 0.865 - 0.937), 6.66 (95% CI: 4.36 - 10.18), 0.287 (95% CI: 0.185 - 0.445), 28.40 (95% CI: 13.01 - 62.0), and 0.93, respectively. We conducted a subgroup analysis of diagnostic value, which showed that the plasma sample had a better diagnostic value compared to the serum.
Conclusion:
This meta-analysis showed that cfDNA could be a fair biomarker for diagnosing HCC patients.
