Serum miR-130b level, an ideal marker for monitoring the recurrence and prognosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation treatment.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to explore the potential roles of miR-130b for the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC). METHODS: The serum sample of 110 PHC patients, which underwent RFA treatment, was collected on 1d pre-operation (Pre 1), 7d (POD 7) and 14d post-operation (POD 14). qRT-PCR was used to detect miR-130b expression. The relationship between miR-130b expression and clinicopathological features, postoperative recurrence and survival rate were analyzed. RESULTS: The liver function of PHC patients was improved after RFA treatment. The level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) was gradually reduced on POD 7 and POD 14 (all P < 0.05). Before RFA, the expression of miR-130b in PHC patients was upregulated, while the expression of miR-130b decreased significantly with time after RFA treatment. And high expression of miR-130b was closely related to cirrhosis (P = 0.027) and tumor differentiation degree (P < 0.01). Serum miR-130b levels were significantly higher in patients with recurrence than in patients without recurrence (P < 0.05). Patients were divided into two groups according to miR-130b expression level (median ΔCt), compared with low ΔCt group, the incidence of recurrence in high ΔCt group was significantly higher after RFA (P = 0.020). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the survival rate of high ΔCt group was significantly shorter than that of low ΔCt group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study provided evidence that serum miR-130b level may be used as an ideal marker for monitoring the recurrence and prognosis of PHC after RFA treatment.