Research and application progress of microRNA-based liquid biopsy in the whole-course management of hepatocellular carcinoma

Corresponding author: YAN Dong, doctoryd@163.com

DOI: 10.12201/bmr.202611.00009

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  Abstract: Early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains challenging, as the current surveillance strategy combining ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has limited sensitivity for early lesions, and AFP yields high false-positive rates in patients with chronic liver disease. Liquid biopsy, which enables non-invasive detection of tumor-derived molecules in body fluids, offers a new approach to overcome these limitations. MicroRNA (miRNA), owing to its high stability in circulation and relatively mature detection technologies, has become the most actively investigated candidate molecule for HCC liquid biopsy. This article outlines the biological characteristics and functions of miRNA, and reviews along the timeline of clinical management of HCC the research progress of miRNA-based liquid biopsy in early diagnosis, prognostic assessment, and therapeutic efficacy monitoring, followed by current challenges and future perspectives. At present, the evidence is most robust on the diagnostic side, prognostic monitoring has established validated models, and therapeutic efficacy monitoring remains at an early exploratory stage. Technically, the field still faces challenges including bottlenecks in standardization, limited comparability across detection platforms, and difficulties in model extrapolation caused by etiological heterogeneity. Future efforts should focus on establishing multimodal combined detection systems and conducting prospective multicenter cohort studies to advance the clinical translation of miRNA-based liquid biopsy.

  Key words: hepatocellular carcinoma; liquid biopsy; microRNA (miRNA); biomarker

  Submit time: 6 November 2026

  Copyright: The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted biomedRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.
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