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Establishing a miRNA panel for hepatocellular carcinoma screening through a multicenter study
Kelvin Ka Ki Ng1,2, Yanjun Lu3, Jia Qiu1,2
1Department of Precision Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology, City University of Hong Kong Futian Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Iscience
|July 21, 2025
Summary
Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial. A novel 5-microRNA panel combined with alpha-fetoprotein shows promise as a minimally invasive biomarker for early HCC screening.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages, hindering curative treatment efficacy.
- Early detection of HCC is critical for improving patient outcomes and treatment effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) screening.
- To develop a minimally invasive diagnostic tool for HCC detection.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter study involving 522 patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis.
- Plasma miRNA profiling and meta-analysis of existing literature.
- Development of a 5-miRNA panel combined with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) using machine learning.
Main Results:
- Significant upregulation of 18 miRNAs in HCC patients across three stages.
- Meta-analysis confirmed upregulation of 4 miRNAs.
- The 5-miRNA panel plus AFP achieved a superior area under the curve (AUC: 0.924) compared to AFP alone (AUC: 0.794) for HCC screening.
Conclusions:
- A 5-miRNA panel combined with AFP demonstrates enhanced diagnostic performance for HCC screening.
- This miRNA-based approach holds potential as a promising, minimally invasive screening method for early HCC detection.
