Primary liver tumors are mainly represented by hepatocellular hepatocarcinoma (HCC), one of the most aggressive and resistant forms of cancer. Numerous studies have reported the key role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in development, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor biology. The alteration of cancer-related miRNA expression can be associated with tumorigenesis. In HCC, deregulated miRNAs frequently act as oncogenes or altered tumor suppressors. Distinct subtypes of hepatic cancer can also be related to an aberrant expression of particular miRNAs, arguing for the significance of using miRNAs as tumor biomarkers in order to refine the HCC grading assessment. In this article, we review the latest reports regarding miRNA profiling and the potential of small RNAs in HCC diagnosis. The relevance of cancer-related miRNA signatures for the prognosis and better understanding of liver cancer outcome is then considered.
Cite this article
12
Download
28
Citations
16
Views
Announcements
Open Access
Review
Potential applications of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic markers in liver cancer
Show Less
1
Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104- 0045, Japan
2
Unidad de Metabolomica, CIC bioGUNE, Parque Tecnologico de Bizkaia, Derio, Basque, Spain
Academic Editor:Rajagopal N. Aravalli
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2013 , 18(1), 199–223;
https://doi.org/10.2741/4096
Published: 1 January 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and cellular mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis)
Abstract
Keywords
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
microRNA
Diagnosis
Prognosis
Review
