Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40936747›Full record

ArticleJournal of hepatocellular carcinoma2025

Prognostic Significance of Liquid Biopsy-Detected Genetic Alterations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Ahmet Gökhan Sarıtaş, Burak Yavuz, İshak Aydın, Harun Ağca, Uğur Topal, Tuğsan Ballı, Atil Bisgin, Abdullah Ülkü, Atılgan Tolga Akçam

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Article in Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Ahmet Gökhan SarıtaşCukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0003-2715-6390
Burak YavuzCukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-5262-0346
İshak AydınCukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-6366-2461
Harun AğcaCukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey.
Uğur TopalCukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0003-1305-2056
Tuğsan BallıÇukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Adana, Turkey.
Atil BisginÇukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Genetics, VariantGen Genetic Diagnosis, Treatment and Healthcare Center, Adana, Turkey.
Abdullah ÜlküCukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey.
Atılgan Tolga AkçamCukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and is increasingly diagnosed in younger populations. Conventional biopsy techniques can be invasive and may not accurately capture tumor heterogeneity. Liquid biopsy, analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), offers a minimally invasive and dynamic alternative for detecting genetic alterations critical to early diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies. Methods: We analyzed serum-derived ctDNA from 20 HCC patients to identify genetic variants using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Mutations in key oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (eg, KIT, FGFR1, FGFR3, EGFR, BRAF, FBXW7) were evaluated for their association with clinical outcomes, including tumor size, metastasis, and overall survival. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (v.30), with survival curves assessed via the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Of the 20 patients (mean age 64.8±13.1 years), 35% had detectable ctDNA mutations. The most frequently observed alterations were in KIT (28.6% of ctDNA-positive patients), followed by FGFR1, FGFR3, EGFR, BRAF, and FBXW7. Patients harboring FGFR1 and FGFR3 mutations exhibited the poorest survival (3 and 7 months, respectively). Conversely, one patient with a BRAF mutation showed prolonged survival (60 months), and KIT mutations were linked to comparatively better outcomes. Overall, ctDNA-positive patients demonstrated shorter mean survival (22.5 months) than ctDNA-negative patients (35.7 months). Conclusion: Liquid biopsy-detected genetic alterations correlate with clinical outcomes in HCC, underscoring the prognostic value of ctDNA analysis. Mutations in FGFR1 and FGFR3 were associated with aggressive disease, suggesting these pathways as potential therapeutic targets. Integrating liquid biopsy with other diagnostic modalities may enhance personalized management and improve prognosis for patients with HCC.

Indexed as

genetic alterationshepatocellular carcinomaliquid biopsynext-generation sequencingprognosis

Identifiers

PMID40936747
PMCPMC12420919

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