Biomarker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Liver cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer and a major contributor to the socioeconomic burden worldwide. The pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is contributed by various etiological factors like virus infection, excessive alcohol consumption, exposure to toxins, or metabolic disorders. Majority of patients are diagnosed with late-stage HCC, which restricts its management to only palliative care. HCC, if diagnosed early, increases the survival and quality of life. Currently available biomarker (alpha-fetoproteins) have several limitations, that impede the early diagnosis and staging of cancer. This warrants the continous search in pursuit of a novel biomarker. Several research works in diverse areas have contributed to the identification of various novel biomarkers that have shown multifaceted application in early disease diagnosis, which further aid in targeted and effective therapy that can prevent cancer progression. This improves the overall health status of the patient along with significant reduction in caretaker’s burden. With the aid of novel technologies, several biomarkers have been investigated and validated in mutliple preliminary research works. Therefore in this review, we have outlined various novel biomarkers that showed promising outcomes in their trials and we have highlighted the developing areas that act as game changers in cancer diagnosis and management.

The Combined Use of Dickkopf-1 and Soluble Axl Improves Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnostic Efficacy in Hepatitis C Patients

“…Usually, HCC is detected during the disease advanced stages as this malignancy is often asymptomatic and, thus, early detection is important for improving patient survival Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, Vol 25 2189 DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2024. 25.6.2185 DKK1 and sAXL for HCC [23]. In patients with HCC, evaluation and validation of reliable novel markers for HCC can enhance early diagnosis and ultimately survival [24].…”