Published online Nov 25, 2015. doi: 10.5495/wjcid.v5.i4.59
Peer-review started: July 15, 2015
First decision: August 25, 2015
Revised: August 28, 2015
Accepted: October 16, 2015
Article in press: October 19, 2015
Published online: November 25, 2015
Processing time: 139 Days and 16.5 Hours
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most frequent oncological cause of death worldwide, principally a consequence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and its prognosis is mostly poor. For early identification and surveillance of HCV patients with liver disease progression, the availability of suitable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers is still an unmet clinical need. Alfa-fetoprotein together with imaging techniques is commonly used, however its specificity and sensitivity are not satisfactory. Several clinical and serological data have been proposed to define the risk of disease progression in HCV infected patients and new biomarkers have been proposed, including post-transcriptionally modified molecules and genetic biomarkers. The present editorial article attempts to summarize the current knowledge on the new promising tools for effective early diagnosis of HCV-related liver disease progression and for the surveillance of HCC.
Core tip: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), leading to liver failure and/or liver transplantation. The current knowledge on the new promising biomarkers, able to predict the progression of HCV-related liver disease and HCC, has been the focus of this editorial.