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Review
. 2022 Sep 15:14:2735-2748.
doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S373165. eCollection 2022.

The Application of Liquid Biopsy Techniques in High-Risk Population for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Jingnuo Ding  1 , Weifeng Zhao  1
Affiliations
Review

The Application of Liquid Biopsy Techniques in High-Risk Population for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Jingnuo Ding et al. Cancer Manag Res. .

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive system and has a 5-year overall survival rate of 14.1%. Many HCC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and thus early screening is essential for reducing the mortality of HCC. In addition to commonly used detection indicators such as serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) and abnormal prothrombin (protein induced by vitamin K absence II, PIVKA-II), liquid biopsy techniques have been demonstrated to have diagnostic value in HCC detection. Compared with invasive procedures, liquid biopsy can detect circulatory metabolites of malignant neoplasms. Liquid biopsy techniques can detect circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, circulating RNA and exosomes and have been used in the early screening, diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of HCC. This paper reviews the molecular biological characteristics and application of different liquid biopsy techniques, and aim to highlight promising biomarkers that may be feasible options for early-stage HCC evaluation to improve early screening in populations at high risk for HCC.

Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma; high-risk population; liquid biopsy techniques.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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