Non-Coding RNAs as Potential Diagnostic/Prognostic Markers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence is rising, with limited treatment efficacy, necessitating improved early diagnosis and screening.
• Liquid biopsy offers a minimally invasive method for HCC detection and monitoring, but current blood markers lack sufficient sensitivity and specificity.
• Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are regulators of gene expression and are altered in HCC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of ncRNAs as novel biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection and monitoring.
• To discuss recent research on the diagnostic and prognostic value of miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in HCC.
• To highlight the advantages and challenges of using ncRNAs in liquid biopsies for HCC management.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies investigating ncRNAs (miRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs) as biomarkers for HCC.
• Analysis of research demonstrating altered ncRNA expression in HCC patients.
• Evaluation of the diagnostic and prognostic performance of identified ncRNAs.

Main Results:

• Several studies demonstrate significant alterations in miRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA expression profiles in HCC patients.
• These ncRNAs show potential for distinguishing HCC from healthy controls and other liver diseases.
• ncRNAs can reflect tumor progression and response to treatment, indicating prognostic value.

Conclusions:

• ncRNAs represent a promising class of biomarkers for early HCC diagnosis and real-time monitoring.
• Despite some limitations, ncRNAs offer potential advantages in sensitivity and specificity over existing HCC markers.
• Further research is warranted to validate and translate ncRNA-based liquid biopsy approaches for clinical HCC management.