Biomarkers for Hepatobiliary Cancers

Abstract

The clinical management of primary liver cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has significantly changed in the last 3 years. The introduction of systemic therapies, including immune‐based therapies and biomarker‐driven therapies, has significantly improved survival, particularly in patients at advanced stages of disease. Survival is still poor, and projections from the World Health Organization underscore the need to improve outcomes in these patients. Biomarkers have emerged as powerful tools for the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of treatment responses to improve patient stratification and maximize clinical benefits. Recent advances in understanding the molecular alterations of HCC have not yet translated into biomarkers. Some reasons for the lack of progress are the absence of druggable mutations in the majority of liver cancers and the significant heterogeneity of the disease. In contrast, several therapeutic targets have been identified in CCA, and biomarker‐driven therapies are currently under evaluation in phase 2/3 clinical trials. Here, we summarize the status on biomarker development for HCC and CCA.

A hypoxia-related signature for clinically predicting diagnosis, prognosis and immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma patients

“…Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 85% of liver cancers, and the disease burden of HCC is increasing globally [ 1 ]. Although progress on treatment strategies for HCC has been made, the overall 5-year survival rate for HCC patients remains less than 20% [ 2 ]. Nowadays, the research of molecular mechanism based on bioinformatics analysis has become one of the most important tools for cancer research [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…20% [2]. Nowadays, the research of molecular mechanism based on bioinformatics analysis has become one of the most important tools for cancer research [3,4].…”

A hypoxia-related signature for clinically predicting diagnosis, prognosis and immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

“…Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 85% of liver cancers, and the disease burden of HCC is increasing globally [1]. Although progress on treatment strategies for HCC has been made, the overall 5year survival rate for HCC patients remains less than 20% [2]. Nowadays, the research of molecular mechanism based on bioinformatics analysis has become one of the most important tools for cancer research [3,4].…”

Identification of a Three-gene Signature Acting as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patients

“…Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is the second most common primary liver cancer after hepatocellular carcinoma and its incidence and mortality rate has increased worldwide [1]. The introduction of new systemic therapies, including immune-based therapies and biomarker-driven therapies, has significantly improved the survival of patients with hepatobiliary cancers, particularly in the advanced stages of disease [2]. However, the prognosis of iCCA patients remains dismal, and surgical resection with negative resection margins and/or liver transplantation is the only curative treatment option [3,4].…”

“…Currently, there are lack of effective biomarkers with high-performance for predicting the diagnosis and prognosis of iCCA patients, as well as for assessing the treatment response [2]. Exploring novel biomarkers involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of iCCA may be beneficial in finding potential therapeutic targets for this life-threatening disease.…”