Assessment of Circulating Tumor DNA for Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Alpha-Fetoprotein-Negative Patients With Cirrhotic Nodules.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Early detection is essential for improving hepatocellular carcinoma's (HCC) prognosis. However, the diagnostic performance of the current interventions remains unsatisfactory, particularly in patients with cirrhotic nodules. We aimed to develop a predictive model for the early detection of HCC using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiles based on 86 cancer-related genes.

Methods

This model was initially evaluated on a discovery cohort of 25 patients with HCC and 9 patients with chronic hepatitis and then validated in a prospective control cohort of 15 alpha-fetoprotein-negative patients with cirrhotic nodules.

Results

In the discovery cohort, our ctDNA-based model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.8675, with a sensitivity of

SUBMITTER: Chang LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12748524 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature