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The efficacy of miRNA122, a novel therapeutic target, for predicting the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 9, pages 103–104 (2012)Cite this article

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most prevalent malignancy worldwide, and it accounts for 85–90% of all primary liver cancers. Owing to the limited therapeutic options available, the 5-year survival rate remains relatively low for patients with HCC. The development of HCC is a multistage process1 that involves changes in the expression of multiple oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and microRNAs that are involved in the cell cycle, as well as in cell growth, apoptosis, migration and tumor metastasis.2, 3 Finding an accurate biomarker that can predict HCC progression is important for clinicians to be able to determine the optimal therapeutic strategy.

Over the past two decades, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has not only been widely used as a biomarker for the regeneration of hepatocytes, but also been recognized clinically to be associated with the development of HCC. Tatarinov and Abelev4 first used AFP as a diagnostic marker for HCC in 1964, and the mounting clinical evidence since this report indicates that AFP elevation is linked to a more aggressive tumor phenotype characterized by vascular invasion, metastasis and poor differentiation.5 However, the diagnostic accuracy of AFP is often questionable because of its low sensitivity; it remains to be determined whether AFP levels in HCC represent anything more than a coincidental epiphenomenon.

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Author notes

  1. Professor F-S Wang, Research Center for Biological Therapy, The Institute of Translational Hepatology, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing 100039, China. E-mail: fswang@public.bta.net.cn

  2. Dr LF Wang, Research Center for Biological Therapy, The Institute of Translational Hepatology, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing 100039, China. E-mail: wanglf76@gmail.com

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Biological Therapy, The Institute of Translational Hepatology, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China

    Lifeng Wang, Zheng Zhang & Fu-Sheng Wang

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Wang, L., Zhang, Z. & Wang, FS. The efficacy of miRNA122, a novel therapeutic target, for predicting the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cell Mol Immunol 9, 103–104 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2011.43

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