MicroRNAs Related to TACE Treatment Response: A Review of the Literature from a Radiological Point of View

Diagnostics (Basel). 2022 Feb 1;12(2):374. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12020374.

Abstract

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world. Patients with intermediate stage (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, B stage) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been able to benefit from TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) as a treatment option. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), i.e., a subclass of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), participate in post-transcriptional gene regulation processes and miRNA dysfunction has been associated with apoptosis resistance, cellular proliferation, tumor genesis, and progression. Only a few studies have investigated the role of miRNAs as biomarkers predicting TACE treatment response in HCC. Here, we review the studies' characteristics from a radiological point of view, also correlating data with radiological images chosen from the cases of our institution.

Keywords: biomarkers; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); liver; liver cirrhosis; liver tumor; microRNA (miRNA); prognostic biomarkers; transarterial chemoembolization (TACE); treatment response criteria.

Publication types

  • Review