Biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma based on body fluids and feces

Abstract

Novel non-/minimally-invasive and effective approaches are urgently needed to supplement and improve current strategies for diagnosis and management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Overwhelming evidence from published studies on HCC has documented that multiple molecular biomarkers detected in body fluids and feces can be utilized in early-diagnosis, predicting responses to specific therapies, evaluating prognosis before or after therapy, as well as serving as novel therapeutic targets. Detection and analysis of proteins, metabolites, circulating nucleic acids, circulating tumor cells, and extracellular vesicles in body fluids ( e.g. , blood and urine) and gut microbiota ( e.g. , in feces) have excellent capabilities to improve different aspects of management of HCC. Numerous studies have been devoted in identifying more promising candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring responses of HCC to conventional therapies, most of which may improve diagnosis and management of HCC in the future. This review aimed to summarize recent advances in utilizing these biomarkers in HCC and discuss their clinical significance.

Non-Invasive Biomarkers for Immunotherapy in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

“…They can be used for multiple purposes, mainly for the early detection of a tumor, but also for defining its biological behavior and aggressiveness, and for assessing the response following a therapeutic intervention [ 19 ]. In the past few years, HCC biomarkers have been prevalently derived from histological analysis, but currently there is an increasing interest in developing novel techniques to extract information on tumor biology directly from patient’s body fluids in a non-invasive way [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Indeed, liver biopsy is invasive and requires the use of structural resources with consequent costs; furthermore, it renders a timely picture of the TME or genomic landscape and cannot capture dynamic changes over time.…”

Hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers, an imminent need

“…I read the review by Guan et al [ 1 ], “Biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma based on body fluids and feces”, published in the April 2021 issue of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology , with profound interest.…”

Critical biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma in body fluids and gut microbiota

“…We were interested to read the review reported by Guan et al [ 1 ] that clearly emphasized the substantial role of biomarkers from different body fluids such as blood, urine and feces for the early detection of primary and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). From the study reports, detection of biomarkers through screening of body fluids or feces is regarded as beneficial due to the quick and easy extraction procedures, stability, proper time management, cost-effectiveness and accessibility in comparison with conventional screening methods.…”

“…Urinary proteins such as urinary DJ-1, chromatin assembly factor-1, heat shock protein 60 and orosomucoid, and metabolites such as ethanolamine, lactic acid, aconitinic acid, phenylalanine and ribose were found to be effective predictors for early HCC recurrence. Additionally, the overexpression of urinary trypsin inhibitor in HCC was revealed to be a risk factor for HCC recurrence[ 1 ]. In a study reported by Hann et al [ 8 ], detection of urinary markers such as TP53m, mSGTP and mRASSF1A were potential tools for the early detection of HCC recurrence (Figure 1 ).…”