Abstract：
Nowadays, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still a major threat to human health globally, with a disappointing prognosis. Regular monitoring of patients at high risk, utilizing abdominal ultrasonography combined with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) serum analysis, enables the early detection of potentially treatable tumors. However, the approach has limitations due to its lack of sensitivity. Meanwhile, the current standard procedure for obtaining a tumor biopsy in cases of HCC is invasive and lacks the ability to assess the dynamic progression of cancer or account for tumor heterogeneity. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop non-invasive, highly sensitive biomarkers for HCC which can improve the accuracy of early diagnosis, assess treatment response and accurately predict the prognosis. In contrast to the conventional method of tissue biopsy, liquid biopsy offers a non-invasive approach that can be readily repeated. As a liquid biopsy approach, the analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) offers real-time insights that can accurately portray the tumor burden and provide a comprehensive depiction of the genetic profile associated with HCC. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the recent research findings pertaining to the significance and potential practicality of cfDNA analysis in the early detection and effective management of HCC.
摘要：
如今,肝细胞癌（HCC）仍然是全球范围内对人类健康的主要威胁，令人失望的预后。定期监测高危病人,利用腹部超声结合甲胎蛋白（AFP）血清分析，能够早期发现潜在可治疗的肿瘤。然而,由于缺乏敏感性，该方法具有局限性。同时,目前在HCC病例中获得肿瘤活检的标准程序是侵入性的,缺乏评估癌症动态进展或解释肿瘤异质性的能力.因此，迫切需要开发非侵入性，肝癌的高度敏感的生物标志物，可以提高早期诊断的准确性，评估治疗反应并准确预测预后。与传统的组织活检方法相比，液体活检提供了一种非侵入性的方法，可以很容易地重复。作为液体活检方法，无细胞DNA(cfDNA)分析提供了实时见解,可以准确描绘肿瘤负荷,并提供与HCC相关的遗传谱的全面描述.在这次审查中,我们全面总结了最近的研究成果，这些研究成果涉及cfDNA分析在HCC早期发现和有效管理中的重要性和潜在实用性。
