Circular Noncoding RNA hsa_circ_0003570 as a Prognostic Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are potential biomarkers owing to their stability, tissue specificity, and abundance. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of hsa_circ_0003570 expression and to investigate its potential as a biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated hsa_circ_0003570 expression in 121 HCC tissue samples, its association with clinicopathological characteristics, and overall and progression-free survival. Hsa_circ_0003570 expression was downregulated in HCC tissues. Low hsa_circ_0003570 expression was more common in tumors larger than 5 cm (odds ratio (OR), 6.369; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.725–14.706; p p p p = 0.003); and higher AFP (>200 ng/mL; OR, 2.475; 95% CI, 1.159–5.291; p = 0.018). High hsa_circ_0003570 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio (HR), 0.541; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.327–0.894; p = 0.017) and progression-free survival (HR, 0.633; 95% CI, 0.402–0.997; p = 0.048). Hsa_circ_0003570 is a potential prognostic biomarker in patients with HCC, and further validation of hsa_circ_0003570 is needed.

Keywords

• circular RNA
• epigenetics
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• survival
• progression
• biomarker