Serum LINC00152 and UCA1 in HCV-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value

Somaia Shehab-Eldeen; Abdallah Essa; Eman Salah Arafat; Asmaa Shaaban Sleem; Amal Abdelrasoul Alhosary; Ehab Darwish; Ali Essa; Omar Ahmed Al-Omair; Emad Ali Al-Khoufi; Abdulrhman Khaled Al Abdulqader; Ali Nada

doi:10.2147/BTT.S433872

Serum LINC00152 and UCA1 in HCV-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value

Biologics. 2023 Oct 13:17:137-149. doi: 10.2147/BTT.S433872. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
² Tropical Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt.
³ Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt.
⁴ Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt.
⁵ Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt.
⁶ Tropical Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
⁷ Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Unit, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt.
⁹ Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Despite significant advancements in the molecular characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), no oncogene addiction has been discovered. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a lot of promise as cancer biomarkers. LINC00152 and UCA1 have shown potential as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets for human cancers.

Aim: To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of serum LINC00152 and UCA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: The expression levels of LINC00152 and UCA1 in blood samples from 120 patients (60 with HCC, 60 with liver cirrhosis) and 40 healthy subjects were assessed using real-time qRT-PCR.

Results: Serum LINC00152 and UCA1 expression were considerably higher in HCC patients compared to patients with liver cirrhosis and the healthy controls (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively). And their expressions in the liver cirrhosis group were significantly higher than in healthy controls. Both lncRNAs performed well in the ROC analysis, distinguishing HCC patients from patients with liver cirrhosis. Higher levels of LINC00152 expression were linked to lesions in both lobes of the liver (p=0.02), while higher levels of UCA1 expression were linked to vascular invasion and the late stage (p=0.01, p=0.03 respectively). The multivariate analysis showed that a high level of LINC00152 in the blood was an independent indicator of a bad outcome for HCC patients (HR=2.23, 95% CI= 1.30-5.29, p=0.03).

Conclusion: Serum LINC00152 and UCA1 expression were upregulated in patients with HCC, suggesting their use as non-invasive biomarkers for HCC. Furthermore, LINC00152 has the potential to serve as a prognostic indicator.

Keywords: LINC00152; UCA1; hepatocellular carcinoma; mortality; predictor.