Novel Non-Protein Biomarkers for Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) while in its early stages is critical for reducing HCC mortality in high-risk patients. However, highly sensitive and specific surveillance biomarkers for early-stage HCC detection are still lacking. In recent years, great efforts have been made to research tumor-derived molecular features that are detectable in circulation, such as circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid and circulating tumor ribonucleic acid, in order to explore their potential as non-invasive biomarker candidates in many tumor types. In this review, we summarize current studies on these new approaches and their application in early HCC detection.

Keywords

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Early detection
• Biomarkers
• Liquid biopsy