Emerging role of circulating cell-free RNA as a non-invasive biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma
Dattatrya Shetti, Venkata Ramana Mallela, Wenjing Ye, Mahyar Sharif, Filip Ambrożkiewicz, Andriy Trailin, Václav Liška, Kari Hemminki
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a severe neoplastic disease associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. HCC is often detected at advanced stages leading to ineffective curative treatments. Recently, liquid biopsy has emerged as a non-invasive method to identify highly specific HCC biomarkers in bodily fluids such as blood, serum, urine, and saliva. Circulating cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs), particularly cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and cell-free RNA (cfRNA), have become promising candidates for biomarkers in liquid biopsy applications. While cfDNA presented significant challenges, researchers have turned their attention to cfRNA, which can be efficiently identified through various methods and is considered a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. This review primarily focuses on studies related to detecting various cfRNA in body fluids as biomarkers. The aim is to provide a summary of available information to assist researchers in their investigations and the development of new diagnostic and prognostic tools. • Cell-free RNA is key as a non-invasive biomarker for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma. • Explores types of cell-free RNA in body fluids and methods for detection and validation. • It explores cfRNA's potential as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for HCC • .Explores cfRNA's role as a non-invasive biomarker for HCC treatment responses. • .Review highlights global challenges in research due to inconsistent technical methods