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Subject Area

Cardiology and Vascular Medicine

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective The aim was to evaluate the diagnostic value of mitochondrial DNA and circulating tumor DNA in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Background HCC is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. Not all patients with HCC are diagnosed using α-fetoprotein alone. Mitochondrial DNA and circulating tumor DNA have been extensively studied over the past few decades and have a high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of HCC. Patients and methods Blood samples were obtained from 150 individuals, comprising 50 patients with HCC and 100 apparently healthy participants as a control group. The blood samples were collected in the time period from August 2013 to September 2016. All patients were subjected to routine laboratory investigations and quantification of mitochondrial DNA and circulating tumor DNA by real-time PCR. Results There was a significant increase in the levels of mitochondrial DNA and circulating tumor DNA in patients with HCC in comparison with the healthy control group. By using receiver operator characteristic curve, sensitivity and specificity of mtDNA for HCC group were 70% and 75%, respectively with a cutoff of 480 GE/ml, whereas sensitivity and specificity of ctDNA for HCC group was 81% and 88%, respectively, with a cutoff of 348 GE/ml. Conclusion Increase sensitivity and specificity of circulating tumor DNA and mitochondrial DNA in HCC make us consider them as potential tumor markers, and analysis of circulating tumor DNA and mitochondrial DNA with other tumor markers could improve the diagnostic sensitivity for HCC.

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