Circulating microRNA-221 as a diagnostic biomarker for hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth frequently diagnosed cancer globally and the third leading cause of cancer death estimated by the world health organization (WHO). Hepatitis C virus (HCV) plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of HCC. According to WHO, around 55–85% of HCV patients will develop chronic hepatitis, resulting in progressive fibrosis and cirrhosis. Up to date, no biomarkers have been proved to diagnose HCC early, and the majority of cases are diagnosed with poor prognosis at late stages. For several pathological conditions, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized as a biomarker, and recently HCC is one of them. Aim: The aim is to study the possible advantage of serum miR-221 as a diagnostic biomarker of HCV-related HCC. Methods: The study was performed on 40 patients with chronic HCV and ten healthy control subjects. There were two groups of patients: HCC and cirrhosis. In addition to evaluating the serum miRNA-221 expression level by RT-PCR, all patients and controls were assessed clinically and subjected to laboratory investigations. Results: MiRNA-221 exhibited a substantial increase in both HCC and cirrhosis (P = 0.005) compared to normal controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was made to evaluate the potential effectiveness of miR-221 to discriminate between HCC patients and non-HCC. miR-221 showed 85% sensitivity and 40% specificity. Conclusion: The study concluded an excellent possibility of serum miR-221 to be classified among the biomarkers of early HCC development. This can modify liver carcinogenesis and can be used to improve preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies in HCC.