Human microbiome is a diagnostic biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.Increasing evidence indicates a close relationship between HCC and the human microbiota.Herein,we reviewed the important potential of the human microbiota as a diagnostic biomarker of HCC.Data sources:Several innovative studies have investigated the characteristics of the gut and oral micro-biomes in patients with HCC and proposed that the human microbiome has the potential to be a diag-nostic biomarker of HCC.Literature from February 1999 to February 2019 was searched in the PubMed database using the keywords"microbiota"or"microbiome"or"microbe"and"liver cancer"or"hepato-cellular carcinoma",and the results of clinical and experimental studies were analyzed.Results:Specific changes occur in the human microbiome of patients with HCC.Moreover,the gut mi-crobiome and oral microbiome can be used as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for HCC.Furthermore,they also have certain diagnostic potential for precancerous diseases of HCC.The diagnostic potential of the blood microbiota and ascites microbiota in HCC will be gradually discovered in the future.Conclusions:The human microbiome is valuable to the diagnosis of HCC and provides a novel strategy for targeted therapy of HCC.The human microbiome may be widely used in the diagnosis,treatment and prognosis for multiple system diseases or cancers in the future.

Increased CMTM4 mRNA expression predicts a poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of the most common human malignancies and main cause of cancer mortality worldwide[1].Conventional treatment for HCC consists of hepatic resection,liver transplantation and radiofrequency ablation[2,3].Despite improvements in clinical treatment,the 5-year survival rate of advanced HCC patients remains low.The exploration of novel therapeutic targets and the identification of prognostic biomarkers for HCC are vital and essential to improve clinical outcomes.CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domaincontaining member 4(CMTM4),mapped to chromosome 16q22.1,is the most conserved member of the CMTM family.The CMTM family comprises 9 genes:CMTM 1-8 and CKLF.Proteins from CMTM family are involved in the immune system[4],the male reproductive system[5],angiogenesis regulation,and tumorigenesis.

Fecal microbiota transplantation has therapeutic effects on chronic hepatits B patients via altering composition of gut microbiota

Chronic hepatits B(CHB)is an increasingly disturbing public health issue worldwide.Currently,interferon and oral antiviral drugs such as entecavir(ETV)or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate(TDF)are two internationally recognized drugs for the treatment of CHB.However,the HBeAg clearance or seroconversion rate is low even in patients with long-term antiviral therapy.Many patients have to increase the dosage of antiviral therapy drugs[1].Intestinal microorganisms are confirmed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of different chronic liver diseases including CHB,and fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)may be a novel treatment strategy for CHB.