TY - JOUR AB - Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as promising biomarkers for cancer; however, the significance of circulating miRNAs in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‑related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. Based on our prior observations that miRNA‑101 (miR‑101) is downregulated by HBV and induces epigenetic modification, we sought to test whether circulating miR‑101 may serve as a potential biomarker for HCC. The expression of miR‑101 in HCCs and serum was evaluated by real‑time polymerase chain reaction. Tissue and serum miR‑101 levels were assessed in samples from patients with HBV‑related HCC and healthy controls. A potential correlation was also evaluated between miR‑101 expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of HCC patients. miR‑101 was downregulated in HBV‑related HCC tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Furthermore, the miR‑101 levels in these tissues from HCC patients were significantly lower than those in tissues from control subjects. Notably, serum miR‑101 levels were found to have an inverse correlation with tissue miR‑101 expression levels. The expression of serum miR‑101 in patients with HBV‑related HCC was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls, and this increase correlated with hepatitis B surface antigen positivity, HBV DNA levels and tumor size. These results indicate that different factors govern the levels of miR‑101 in the tissue and serum of HCC patients. Given the marked and consistent increase in serum miR‑101 levels in HCC patients, circulating miR‑101 may serve as a promising biochemical marker for monitoring the progression of tumor development in HBV‑related HCC. AD - Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China Department of Clinical Pharmacology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China Department of Histology and Embryology, Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China AU - Fu,Yu AU - Wei,Xufu AU - Tang,Chengyong AU - Li,Jianping AU - Liu,Rui AU - Shen,Ai AU - Wu,Zhongjun DA - 2013/12/01 DO - 10.3892/ol.2013.1638 EP - 1815 IS - 6 JO - Oncol Lett KW - miR‑101 serum monitor HBV‑related HCC PY - 2013 SN - 1792-1074 1792-1082 SP - 1811 ST - Circulating microRNA‑101 as a potential biomarker for hepatitis B virus‑related hepatocellular carcinoma T2 - Oncology Letters TI - Circulating microRNA‑101 as a potential biomarker for hepatitis B virus‑related hepatocellular carcinoma UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2013.1638 VL - 6 ER -