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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP

HCC-miR: A Simple, Noninvasive, and Sensitive Model for Early Diagnosis of HCV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma

  • Maiada Ayad1,2
  • Hani Saleh1,2
  • Hatem A. El-Mezayen1,2
  • Mohamed El-Kassas3
  • Aml El-Sharkawy4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Cancer Biology Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Capital University, Cairo, Egypt.
  2. 2Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science Capital University, Cairo, Egypt.
  3. 3Endemic Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Capital University, Cairo, Egypt.
  4. 4Damietta Cancer Institute, Damietta, Egypt.
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Abstract

Background:: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains the predominant etiological factor in Egypt. The limited sensitivity and specificity of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) continue to hinder early HCC detection. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic significance of circulating microRNA-155 (miRNA-155) expression in HCV-related HCC and to develop a novel, noninvasive diagnostic model combining miRNA-155 with routine biomarkers.

Methods:: A total of 42 HCV-positive HCC patients, 83 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. Clinical, hematologic, and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Circulating miRNA-155 levels were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR and normalized to U6 RNA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and multivariate discriminant analyses were used to develop a composite diagnostic model integrating AFP, albumin, platelet count, INR, AST/ALT ratio, and miRNA-155, designated the HCC-miR Score.

Results:: Liver function tests and hematologic indices showed progressive deterioration from controls to LC and HCC groups. miRNA-155 expression was significantly elevated in HCC (6.71 ° 3.38) compared with LC (5.44 ° 2.31) and controls (1.27 ° 0.68) (p < 0.0001). The HCC-miR Score demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.753) to AFP alone (AUC = 0.713), achieving 100% sensitivity and 68% specificity at a cutoff value of 0.32. The model effectively discriminated early-stage, small-sized, and well-differentiated tumors from cirrhotic cases, outperforming AFP across all subgroups.

Conclusion:: Circulating miRNA-155 is markedly upregulated in HCV-related HCC and correlates strongly with disease progression. The novel HCC-miR Score represents a simple, sensitive, and noninvasive model for the early diagnosis of HCC in high-risk HCV patients.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ayad2026hccmir,
  title = {{HCC-miR: A Simple, Noninvasive, and Sensitive Model for Early Diagnosis of HCV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma}},
  author = {Maiada Ayad and Hani Saleh and Hatem A. El-Mezayen and Mohamed El-Kassas and Aml El-Sharkawy},
  journal = {Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2235},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2235},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - HCC-miR: A Simple, Noninvasive, and Sensitive Model for Early Diagnosis of HCV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma
AU  - Maiada Ayad
AU  - Hani Saleh
AU  - Hatem A. El-Mezayen
AU  - Mohamed El-Kassas
AU  - Aml El-Sharkawy
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/20
JO  - Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP
DO  - 10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2235
UR  - https://doi.org/10.31557/apjcp.2026.27.6.2235
AB  - Background:: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains the predominant etiological factor in Egypt. The limited sensitivity and specificity of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) continue to hinder early HCC detection. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic significance of circulating microRNA-155 (miRNA-155) expression in HCV-related HCC and to develop a novel, noninvasive diagnostic model combining miRNA-155 with routine biomarkers.  Methods:: A total of 42 HCV-positive HCC patients, 83 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. Clinical, hematologic, and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Circulating miRNA-155 levels were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR and normalized to U6 RNA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and multivariate discriminant analyses were used to develop a composite diagnostic model integrating AFP, albumin, platelet count, INR, AST/ALT ratio, and miRNA-155, designated the HCC-miR Score.  Results:: Liver function tests and hematologic indices showed progressive deterioration from controls to LC and HCC groups. miRNA-155 expression was significantly elevated in HCC (6.71 ° 3.38) compared with LC (5.44 ° 2.31) and controls (1.27 ° 0.68) (p < 0.0001). The HCC-miR Score demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.753) to AFP alone (AUC = 0.713), achieving 100% sensitivity and 68% specificity at a cutoff value of 0.32. The model effectively discriminated early-stage, small-sized, and well-differentiated tumors from cirrhotic cases, outperforming AFP across all subgroups.  Conclusion:: Circulating miRNA-155 is markedly upregulated in HCV-related HCC and correlates strongly with disease progression. The novel HCC-miR Score represents a simple, sensitive, and noninvasive model for the early diagnosis of HCC in high-risk HCV patients.
SN  - 1513-7368
SN  - 2476-762X
ER  -