Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Utility of Circular RNAs as Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Novel Biomarkers for Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally. Most patients present with late diagnosis, leading to poor prognosis. This narrative review explores novel biomarkers for early HCC detection. We conducted a comprehensive literature review analyzing protein, circulating nucleic acid, metabolite, and quantitative proteomics-based biomarkers, evaluating the advantages and limitations of each approach. While established markers like alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin, and AFP-L3 remain relevant, promising candidates include circulating tumor DNA, microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, extracellular vesicle, and metabolomic biomarkers. Multi-biomarker panels like the GALAD score, Oncoguard, and Helio liver test show promise for improved diagnostic accuracy. Non-invasive approaches like urine and gut microbiome analysis are also emerging possibilities. Integrating these novel biomarkers with current screening protocols holds significant potential for earlier HCC detection and improved patient outcomes. Future research should explore multi-biomarker panels, omics technologies, and artificial intelligence to further enhance early HCC diagnosis and management.

Non-coding RNAs and gastrointestinal cancers prognosis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies

Aim

Provide an overview and a systematic evaluation of the evidence quality on the association between non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and prognosis value for gastrointestinal cancers (GICs).

Methods

We searched the literature from three electronic databases: Pubmed, Embase, and Web of science, then carefully screened and extracted the primary information and results from the included articles. We use A measurable systematic review and meta-analysis evaluation tool (AMSTAR2) to evaluate the quality of methodology and then use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment 2, Development and Evaluation guideline (GRADE) make sure the reliability of the meta-analysis.

Results

Overall, 182 meta-analyses from 58 studies were included in this study. Most of these studies are of low or very low quality. Using the scoring tool, we found that only two meta-analyses were rated as high reliability, and 17 meta-analyses were rated as medium reliability.

Conclusions

Although ncRNA has good prognostic value in some studies, only a tiny amount of evidence is highly credible at present. More research is needed in the future.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022382296.

HCC biomarkers - state of the old and outlook to future promising biomarkers and their potential in everyday clinical practice

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and deadly tumors worldwide. Management of HCC depends on reliable biomarkers for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of the disease, as well as predicting response towards therapy and safety. To date, imaging has been the established standard technique in the diagnosis and follow-up of HCC. However, imaging techniques have their limitations, especially in the early detection of HCC. Therefore, there is an urgent need for reliable, non/minimal invasive biomarkers. To date, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the only serum biomarker used in clinical practice for the management of HCC. However, AFP is of relatively rather low quality in terms of specificity and sensitivity. Liquid biopsies as a source for biomarkers have become the focus of clinical research. Our review highlights alternative biomarkers derived from liquid biopsies, including circulating tumor cells, proteins, circulating nucleic acids, and exosomes, and their potential for clinical application. Using defined combinations of different biomarkers will open new perspectives for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring HCC.

Circular RNAs as Diagnostic and Prognostic Indicators of Colorectal Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Studies

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have proven as a special subset of endogenous RNAs that are implicated in the tumorigenesis of various cancers. This study sought to evaluate the role of circRNAs in the diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: The online databases were searched for collecting relevant studies on circRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of CRC. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted data, and evaluated the bias and risks of included studies. The diagnostic and prognostic indicators were merged and analyzed using STATA 12.0 software, and sources of heterogeneity were traced by the sensitivity analysis and the meta-regression test. Results: A total of 29 articles representing 2639 CRC patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of circRNAs in differentiating CRC from non-tumor control were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.69-0.80) and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.69-0.78) and 0.81, respectively. The survival analysis showed that up-regulations of up-regulated circRNAs were significantly related to dismal survival in CRC patients (HR = 2.38, p < 0.001). A stratified analysis showed that the comprehensive diagnostic value of up-regualted circRNAs in CRC was higher than that of down-regualted circRNAs (AUC: 0.83 vs. 0.77; Z test, p < 0.05). The efficacy of tissue-derived circRNAs in the diagnosis of CRC was equal to that of plasma/serum-derived ones (AUC: 0.81 vs. 0.82; Z test, p > 0.05). Conclusion: Abnormally expressed circRNAs as auxiliary biomarkers present underlying value in the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of CRC.

Circular RNAs are Potential Prognostic Markers of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Findings of a Meta-Analysis Study

Background

Several studies have reported the role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis of different cancers. This meta-analysis study aimed to evaluate the potential of using circRNAs as prognostic biomarkers of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods

816 relevant articles were retrieved from PubMed and Science Direct databases, out of which 17 met the inclusion criteria. These 17 studies were assessed for quality by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) system, and 9 high quality studies (NOS>7) were included in the meta-analysis. Cochran Q test and the I square (I 2) metric were calculated to detect potential heterogeneity among studies. Sensitivity analysis was performed to validate the credibility of outcomes, and publication bias was determined using Begg's funnel plot and Egger's test. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate overall survival (OS) of HNSCC patients by univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

The dysregulated levels of 9 circRNAs (circPVT1, circCORO1C, circ_0000199, circCUX1, circPARD3, circMYC, circ_0102272, circ_0092125 and circ_00072387) were inversely related to OS of HNSCC patients [upregulated circRNA (univariate analysis: HR = 3.40, 95% CI: 2.66-4.36, p < 0.0001, I 2 = 0%; multivariate analysis: HR = 3.33, 95% CI: 2.54-4.38, p < 0.0001, I 2 = 0%), downregulated circRNA (univariate analysis: HR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.73-4.65, p < 0.0001, I2 = 57.8%; multivariate analysis: HR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.42-3.89, p = 0.0009, I2 = 0%)]. The individual HR for these 9 circRNAs indicated inverse relation to OS, validating the overall HR. The dyregulated levels of these circRNAs were also associated with poor clinicopathological outcomes such as primary tumor size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and poor tumor (T), nodes (N), metastases (M); i.e TNM staging, and six of these circRNAs regulated diverse micro RNAs, revealing their role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression.

Conclusion

Nine different circRNAs dysregulated in HNSCC tumors may serve as potential prognostic markers of HNSCC. These markers are associated with reduced OS and poor clinicopathological outcomes of HNSCC patients. They are also involved in the pathogenesis and progression of HNSCC through diverse mechanisms.

Diagnostic value of RNA for hepatocellular carcinoma: a network meta-analysis

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of RNA in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A systematic review was conducted from PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Science databases via well-designed retrieval strategy. Subsequently, the network meta-analysis was performed by the STATA software. Results: Through statistical analysis, the three hypotheses of the network meta-analysis were established. In view of these hypotheses, the diagnostic efficacy of the three markers in HCC (HCC vs healthy people) may be consistent, and the cumulative ranking results showed such a trend: circular RNA >long noncoding RNA >microRNA. Conclusion: Circular RNA may be most effective for diagnosing HCC across the three types of RNA.

Liver stiffness measured by magnetic resonance elastography in early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after treatment: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis

BACKGROUND

With high diagnostic accuracy, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a noninvasive tool and can be adopted to measure liver stiffness (LS). In this study, meta-analysis was carried out to further evaluate whether LS measured by MRE can predict early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

PUBMED, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Cochrane Library database were searched for studies related to LS measured by MRE in the prediction of recurrence in patients with HCC. Survival outcome was estimated by hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Meta-analysis was conducted with the Stata 16.0.

RESULTS

The results of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

CONCLUSION

This study will provide evidence support for LS measured by MRE in predicting the recurrence of HCC.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The private information from individuals will not be published. This systematic review also should not damage participants' rights. Ethical approval is not available. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences.

OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER

DOI 10.17605/ OSF.IO / SURH3.

Peripheral Blood Genetic Biomarkers for the Early Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and has high mortality. Biomarkers related to HCC, such as alpha-fetoprotein, and imaging technology, such as ultrasound and computed tomography, have been used to screen and monitor HCC, but HCC is still difficult to diagnose effectively in the early stage due to the low sensitivity of the above mentioned traditional methods. There is an urgent need for noninvasive biomarkers to facilitate the screening and early diagnosis of HCC. With the advancement of next-generation sequencing, genetic biomarkers are becoming the core of cancer diagnosis. Genetic biomarkers such as peripheral blood circulating tumor DNA, microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs, and exosomes have become the focus of early HCC diagnostics. HCC genetic biomarkers have been implemented in clinical practice. In this review, we describe the available literature on peripheral blood genetic biomarkers in the diagnosis of early HCC.

The diagnostic value of plasma exosomal hsa_circ_0070396 for hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim: We aimed to identify novel exosomal circular RNAs for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. Materials & methods: Exosomes were extracted and characterized. The expression level of exosomal circRNAs were verified via quantitative real-time PCR. The diagnostic value of candidate circRNAs was evaluated according to the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: The exosomal circ_0070396 significantly elevated in HCC patients than other control groups and it performed better in distinguishing HCC patients from healthy donors than that of α-fetoprotein. Combination of two above markers exerted greater diagnostic performance. Exosomal circ_0070396 could discriminate HCC individuals from patients with chronic hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis. Intriguingly, exosomal circ_0070396 was positively correlated with HCC progression. Conclusion: Exosomal circ_0070396 may be a potential biomarker for HCC detection and management.

Recent Update on the Role of Circular RNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

After being overlooked for decades, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently generated considerable interest. circRNAs play a role in a variety of normal and pathological biological processes, including hepatocarcinogenesis. Many circRNAs contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis through sponging of microRNAs (miRs) and disruption of cellular signaling pathways that play a part in control of cell proliferation, metastasis and apoptosis. In most cases, overexpressed circRNAs sequester miRs to cause de-repressed translation of mRNAs that encode oncogenic proteins. Conversely, low expression of circRNAs has also been described in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is associated with inhibited production of tumor suppressor proteins. Other functions of circRNAs that contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis include translation of truncated proteins and acting as adapters to regulate influence of transcription factors on target gene expression. circRNAs also affect hepatocyte transformation indirectly. For example, the molecules regulate immune surveillance of cancerous cells and influence the liver fibrosis that commonly precedes HCC. Marked over- or under-expression of circRNA expression in HCC, with correlating plasma concentrations, has diagnostic utility and assays of these RNAs are being developed as biomarkers of HCC. Although knowledge in the field has recently surged, the myriad of described effects suggests that not all may be vital to hepatocarcinogenesis. Nevertheless, investigation of the role of circRNAs is providing valuable insights that are likely to contribute to improved management of a serious and highly aggressive cancer.

RRM2 protects against ferroptosis and is a tumor biomarker for liver cancer

Background

Ferroptosis is the process of cell death triggered by lipid peroxides, and inhibition of glutathione (GSH) synthesis leads to ferroptosis. Liver cancer progression is closely linked to ferroptosis suppression. However, the mechanism by which inhibition of GSH synthesis suppresses potential ferroptosis of liver cancer cells and whether ferroptosis-related liver cancer biomarkers have a promising diagnostic value remain unknown.

Methods

Ribonucleotide reductase regulatory subunit M2 (RRM2) levels were measured using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR), immunoblotting (IB) and immunochemistry (IHC). Cell viability and cell death were measured by a CellTiter-Glo luminescent cell viability assay and staining with SYTOX Green followed by flow cytometry, respectively. Metabolites were measured using the indicated kits. The Interaction between glutathione synthetase (GSS) and RRM2 was measured using immunofluorescence (IF), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and the proximal ligation assay (PLA). The diagnostic value was analyzed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). Bioinformatics analysis was performed using the indicated database.

Results

RRM2 showed specifically elevated levels in liver cancer and inhibited ferroptosis by stimulating GSH synthesis via GSS. Mechanistically, phosphorylation of RRM2 at the Threonine 33 residue (T33) was maintained at normal levels to block the RRM2–GSS interaction and therefore protected RRM2 and GSS from further proteasome degradation. However, under ferroptotic stress, RRM2 was dephosphorylated at T33, thus the RRM2–GSS interaction was promoted. This resulted in the translocation of RRM2 and GSS to the proteasome for simultaneous degradation. Clinically, serum RRM2 was significantly associated with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), albumin (ALB) and total bilirubin. The AUC-ROC for the combination of RRM2 with AFP was 0.947, with a sensitivity of 88.7% and a specificity of 97.0%, which indicates better diagnostic performance compared to either RRM2 or AFP alone.

Conclusion

RRM2 exerts an anti-ferroptotic role in liver cancer cells by sustaining GSH synthesis. Serum RRM2 will be useful as a biomarker to evaluate the degree to which ferroptosis is suppressed and improve diagnostic efficiency for liver cancer.

Recent advances in understanding circular RNAs

Exonic circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been discovered in all kingdoms of life. In many cases, the details of circRNA function and their involvement in cellular processes and diseases are not yet fully understood. However, the past few years have seen significant developments in bioinformatics and in experimental protocols that advance the ongoing research in this still-emerging field. Sophisticated methods for circRNA generation in vitro and in vivo have been developed, allowing model studies into circRNA function and application. We here review the ongoing circRNA research, giving special attention to recent progress in the field.