Research progress of circulating non-coding RNA in diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Junqi You; Haoming Xia; Ziyue Huang; Risheng He; Xudong Zhao; Jiali Chen; Sidi Liu; Yi Xu; Yunfu Cui

doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1204715

Research progress of circulating non-coding RNA in diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Front Oncol. 2023 Jul 20:13:1204715. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1204715. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Junqi You¹, Haoming Xia¹, Ziyue Huang¹, Risheng He¹, Xudong Zhao¹, Jiali Chen², Sidi Liu¹, Yi Xu¹, Yunfu Cui¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
² Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant tumor that carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. This type of cancer is prevalent in Asia due to the widespread presence of risk factors. Unfortunately, HCC often goes undetected until it has reached an advanced stage, making early detection and treatment critical for better outcomes. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is commonly used in clinical practice for diagnosing HCC, but its sensitivity and specificity are limited. While surgery and liver transplantation are the main radical treatments, drug therapy and local interventions are better options for patients with advanced HCC. Accurately assessing treatment efficacy and adjusting plans in a timely manner can significantly improve the prognosis of HCC. Non-coding RNA gene transcription products cannot participate in protein production, but they can regulate gene expression and protein function through the regulation of transcription and translation processes. These non-coding RNAs have been found to be associated with tumor development in various types of tumors. Noncoding RNA released by tumor or blood cells can circulate in the blood and serve as a biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis, and efficacy assessment. This article explores the unique role of circulating noncoding RNA in HCC from various perspectives.

Keywords: biomarker; circulating noncoding RNA; diagnosis; hepatocellular carcinoma; treatment.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Hong Kong Scholars Program (Grant No. XJ2020012); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81902431); the Excellent Youth Project of Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang (Grant No. YQ2019H007); the Special Project of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2019T120279); the Special Project of Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. LBHTZ1016); the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2018M641849 and 2018M640311); the Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. LBH-Z18107 and LBH-Z18112). This work also received funding from Marshal Initiative Funding of Harbin Medical University (HMUMIF-22008); Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province (LH2023H043); Thematic Research Support Scheme of State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong (SKLLR/TRSS/2022/08); Beijing Xisike Clinical Oncology Research Foundation (Y-Young2022-0188); Chen Xiaoping Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology of Hubei Province; Medjaden Academy & Research Foundation for Young Scientists (MJR20220903, MJR202309101); Opening Project of State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science (SKLACLS2302); Opening Project of State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics; Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medicial University (2022-449); Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Fujian Medical University, Ministry of Education (FMUGIC-202203); Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education (2022GWKFJJ01); Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Pathology, Army Medical University, Ministry of Education (2022jsz801); Opening Project of Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research, Bengbu Medical College (KFKT202301); Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Functional and Clinical Translational Medicine, Fujian Province University (XMMC-FCTM202205); Opening Project of Guangxi Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer (GXEKL202204); Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Biomarkers and In Vitro Diagnosis Translation of Zhejiang Province (KFJJ-2022002); Opening Project of Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Tumor Targeted Nano Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials (JETNM202210); Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Intelligent Pharmacy and Individualized Therapy of Huzhou & Changxing Anti-cancer Association (NZKF-20230203); Opening Project of Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Tumor Targeted Nano Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials (JETNM202210); and Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Intelligent Pharmacy and Individualized Therapy of Huzhou & Changxing Anti-cancer Association (NZKF-20230203).