Clinical significance of microRNA-21 expression in disease progression of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim: Aberrant microRNA (miR) expression is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials & methods: Here, we investigated the clinical significance of miR-21 and miR-31 for HCC-specific prognostic effect. HCC patients (n = 93) who underwent liver biopsy or surgical resection were enrolled, and HCC tissues and paired adjacent nontumor liver tissues were collected and analyzed for miRs expression. Results: MiR-21 expression was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues relative to nontumor tissues. Both miR-21 and miR-31 expression in HCC tissues did not predict overall survival; however, miR-21 was considered an independent predictor of disease progression together with portal vein thrombosis and higher Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer stage. Conclusion: Elevated miR-21 expression might represent a biomarker for HCC prognosis.