Peruhova M, Banova-Chakarova S, Miteva DG, Velikova T. Genetic screening of liver cancer: State of the art. World J Hepatol 2024; 16(5): 716-730 [PMID: 38818292 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i5.716]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Sonya Banova-Chakarova, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital "Heart and Brain", Zdrave Street 1, Burgas 8000, Bulgaria. sbanova86@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Milena Peruhova, Sonya Banova-Chakarova, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital "Heart and Brain", Burgas 8000, Bulgaria
Dimitrina Georgieva Miteva, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University" St. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
Tsvetelina Velikova, Medical Faculty, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia 1407, Bulgaria
Author contributions: Peruhova M and Velikova T conceptualized the idea, performed writing review and editing; Banova-Chakarova S performed the software analysis, acquired resources; Velikova T prepared the original writing manuscript, conducted the survey, performed the validation, project management, and funding acquisition; Miteva DG and Peruhova M performed data organization, performed the formal analysis; Banova-Chakarova S and Miteva DG performed visualization and analysis; Banova-Chakarova S and Velikova T for supervision. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported byEuropean Union-Next Generation EU, Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria Project, No. BG-RRP-2.004-0008.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sonya Banova-Chakarova, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital "Heart and Brain", Zdrave Street 1, Burgas 8000, Bulgaria. sbanova86@gmail.com
Received: December 30, 2023 Revised: February 14, 2024 Accepted: April 9, 2024 Published online: May 27, 2024 Processing time: 144 Days and 0.1 Hours
Abstract
Liver cancer, primarily hepatocellular carcinoma, remains a global health challenge with rising incidence and limited therapeutic options. Genetic factors play a pivotal role in the development and progression of liver cancer. This state-of-the-art paper provides a comprehensive review of the current landscape of genetic screening strategies for liver cancer. We discuss the genetic underpinnings of liver cancer, emphasizing the critical role of risk-associated genetic variants, somatic mutations, and epigenetic alterations. We also explore the intricate interplay between environmental factors and genetics, highlighting how genetic screening can aid in risk stratification and early detection via using liquid biopsy, and advancements in high-throughput sequencing technologies. By synthesizing the latest research findings, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art genetic screening methods for liver cancer, shedding light on their potential to revolutionize early detection, risk assessment, and targeted therapies in the fight against this devastating disease.
Core Tip: Unraveling the intricate genetic underpinnings of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is paramount for understanding its development and progression. In line with this, genetic screening could be a powerful tool for patient risk stratification, spotlighting risk-associated genetic variants, somatic mutations, and epigenetic alterations contributing to HCC. Moreover, embracing next-generation sequencing and exploring genetic biomarkers, including circulating tumor DNA, opens new frontiers for effective risk assessment and early detection of liver cancer.
