Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and has a poor prognosis. Epigenetic modification has been shown to be deregulated during HCC development by dramatically impacting the differentiation, proliferation, and function of cells. One important epigenetic modification is DNA methylation during which methyl groups are added to cytosines without changing the DNA sequence itself. Studies found that methylated DNA markers can be specific for detection of HCC. On the basis of these findings, the utility of methylated DNA markers as novel biomarkers for early-stage HCC has been measured in blood, and indeed superior sensitivity and specificity have been found in several studies when compared to current surveillance methods. However, a variety of factors currently limit the immediate application of these exciting biomarkers. In this review, we provide a detailed rationalisation of the approach and basis for the use of methylation biomarkers for HCC detection and summarise recent studies on methylated DNA markers in HCC focusing on the importance of the aetiological cause of liver disease in the mechanisms leading to cancer.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 112960 |
| Journal | European Journal of Cancer |
| Volume | 191 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by: the European-Latin American ESCALON consortium, funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program, project number 825510, the Foundation for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research (SLO), China Scholarship Council for funding PhD fellowship to S.F. (No. 202108500043), and the University of Minnesota AIRP, University of Minnesota AHC seed grant, and 1R21TW012390–01A1 to J.D. The authors acknowledge the use of Biorender software for creating Figs. 1–3 .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)
