title: Serum microRNAs as biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to anticipate great cancer diagnostic potential. Recently, circulating miRNAs have been reported as promising biomarkers for various pathologic conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of serum miRNAs as novel biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study was divided into four phases: (I) Ten candidate serum miRNAs were detected by using real-time RT-PCR, corresponding 10 HCC patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. (II) Marker validation by real-time RT-PCR on HBV patients with (n = 48) or without HCC (n = 48), and healthy subjects (n = 24). (III) Marker detection by real-time RT-PCR in sera from another 14 HCC patients before and 1 month after surgical resection. (IV) We examined the correlation between the expressions of candidate serum miRNAs with clinical parameters of HCC patients. Although miR-222, miR-223 or miR-21 were significantly up- or down-regulated between HCC patients and healthy controls, no significant difference was observed in the levels of these miRNAs between HBV patients without and with HCC. MiR-122 in serum was significantly higher in HCC patients than healthy controls (p<0.001). More importantly, it was found that the levels of miR-122 were significantly reduced in the post-operative serum samples when compared to the pre-operative samples. Although serum miR-122 was also elevated in HBV patients with HCC comparing with those without HCC, the difference was at the border line (p = 0.043).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that serum miR-122 might serve as a novel and potential noninvasive biomarker for detection of HCC in healthy subjects, moreover, it might serve as a novel biomarker for liver injury but not specifically for detection of HCC in chronic HBV infection patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Eastern Hepatobiliary Hospital, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Shu-qun
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yue-feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chun-fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000502:physiology; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C531907:MIRN122 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs