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Plasma micoRNA‐122 as a predictive marker for treatment response following transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Author(s) -
Kim Soon Sun,
Nam Ji Sun,
Cho Hyo Jung,
Won Je Hwan,
Kim Jin Woo,
Ji JaeHoon,
Yang Min Jae,
Park Joo Han,
Noh ChoongKyun,
Shin Sung Jae,
Lee Kee Myung,
Cho Sung Won,
Cheong Jae Youn
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/jgh.13448
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , hazard ratio , gastroenterology , refractory period , confidence interval , liver transplantation , univariate analysis , biomarker , hepatitis c , oncology , cirrhosis , milan criteria , multivariate analysis , transplantation , biochemistry , chemistry
Abstract Background and Aim Circulating microRNA (miR)‐122 has recently been investigated as a potential biomarker of various hepatic diseases, such as chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the association between plasma miR‐122 levels and the treatment outcomes following transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in HCC patients. Methods We included 177 HCC patients treated with TACE in the study; TACE refractoriness and liver transplantation‐free survival were evaluated during follow up. Pretreatment plasma miR‐122 levels were assessed using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Relative quantification of miR‐122 expression (fold change) was determined using the 2 (−ΔΔCt) method. MiR‐16 was used as an internal control for the normalization of miRNA data. Results During the mean follow up of 22.4 (range, 1–79) months, 112 (69.5%) patients exhibited TACE refractoriness. Multivariate analyses showed that tumor number (hazard ratio [HR], 2.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43–4.41; P = 0.001) and tumor size (HR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.62–4.32; P = 0.000) can independently predict overall TACE refractoriness. High miR‐122 expression (> 100) was associated with early TACE refractoriness (within 1 year; HR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.12–6.86; P = 0.028), together with tumor number (HR, 22.73; 95% CI, 2.74–188.66; P = 0.004) and tumor size (HR, 4.90; 95% CI, 1.99–12.06; P = 0.001). Univariate analyses showed that high miR‐122 expression tends to be associated with poor liver transplantation‐free survival (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.95–2.11; P = 0.085). However, it was statistically insignificant in multivariate analysis. Conclusion High expression levels of plasma miR‐122 are associated with early TACE refractoriness in HCC patients treated with TACE.