Circulating microRNAs for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim There are no existing biomarkers that demonstrate very reliable performance in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially in the early stage. Studies have shown that numerous aberrantly expressed circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) can be used as a diagnostic tool for HCC; however, these studies have produced inconsistent results. Methods We performed a meta-analysis to summarize the diagnostic accuracy of circulating miRNAs, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and AFP combined with miRNAs in differentiating HCC patients from non-HCC controls, healthy controls and chronic liver disease controls. We also evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of circulating miRNAs for early-stage HCC. Furthermore, we systematically reviewed the diagnostic effectiveness of single miRNAs and individual miRNA panels. Results Circulating miRNAs showed good diagnostic performance. Compared with single miRNAs, the diagnostic accuracy of miRNA panels was clearly better. The combination of AFP and miRNAs improved the diagnostic accuracy compared with the use of miRNAs or AFP alone. For early-stage HCC patients, circulating miRNAs exhibited relatively satisfactory diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions Circulating miRNAs can be used as an early diagnostic marker of HCC. The combination of miRNAs and AFP has great potential as a novel strategy for the diagnosis of HCC.