Novel biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance: has the future arrived?

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major cause of mortality in patients with chronicliver disease worldwide. Early detection of HCC is critical to providing effective treatment and can have asignificant impact on survival. In addition, effective surveillance following hepatic resection or locoregionalablative therapy can identify early recurrence and optimize long-term outcomes. Currently available serumtumor markers, including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), are characterized by low sensitivity in the detectionof HCC. Advances in genomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and glycomic profiling may provide a meansto identify unique molecular signatures and characterization of complex processes associated with HCCincidence and recurrence. The development of highly sensitive and specific serum biomarkers for HCC maygreatly enhance early detection rates, risk assessment in treatment candidates, and identification of potentialnew targets for anticancer therapy.