The role of circulating microRNAs for the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma with low alpha-fetoprotein level: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMC Gastroenterology

Bo Li¹  Yanshuo Ye²  Wei Li²  Zhanpeng Wang²  Cheng Peng³  Zishan Xie⁴  Zhuonan Li⁵ 

[1] Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health of Jilin University, 130021, Changchun, China;Department of Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai Street, 130033, Changchun, China;Department of Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai Street, 130033, Changchun, China;Department of Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 410013, Changsha, China;Department of Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai Street, 130033, Changchun, China;Department of Ultrasonography, the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 518020, Shenzhen, China;Department of Plastic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 130033, Changchun, China;

关键词: miRNAs;    HCC;    Low AFP;    Diagnosis;    Meta-analysis;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12876-020-01345-5

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAlpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been widely used for many years as a serum marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, AFP has been recognized as having poor sensitivity. More and more studies have concluded that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) might be a promising biomarker that could complement AFP. However, the diagnostic ability of circulating miRNAs has varied among the studies. Therefore, we performed the present meta-analysis to appraise the diagnostic performance of circulating miRNAs as a biomarker for hepatitis B virus-associated HCC (HBV-HCC) patients with low AFP levels.MethodsWe performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature to assess the diagnostic accuracy of circulating miRNAs in differentiating HBV-HCC patients with low AFP levels from non-HCC controls.ResultsCirculating miRNAs showed promising potential in the diagnosis of HBV-HCC patients with low AFP levels. In the low-AFP HBV-HCC patients, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84–0.90). The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.84 (95% CI: 0.78–0.88) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.69–0.83), respectively.ConclusionsThe detection of circulating miRNAs provides a valuable method for the diagnosis of HBV-HCC in patients with low AFP levels.

【 授权许可】

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