MicroRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among Somali Patients

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and is the third leading cause of cancer that related death in the worldwide. Although, current most of doctors and laboratorians of HCC diagnoses bases are medical imaging such ultrasound, MRI, CT-scan and laboratory analyses tests for serum tumor markers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) which characterized by very low of sensitivity in the detection of HCC. Last two decades, scientists was focused researches of small molecules called MicroRNAs which are produced by human cells and can be released in the blood. MicroRNAs are class of (20 - 25 nucleotide in length) non-coding RNAs, and its emerging non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for cancer diagnosing, screening, monitoring treatment and to predict prognosis. A number of studies exposed an abnormal expression of human serum MicroRNAs in many tumors such as liver, pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma. Recently, MicroRNAs have a role in the development of HCC, but still it is unknown if these small molecules will be used as biomarker for diagnosis and survival of HCC. The aim of this study is to establish MicroRNAs as biomarkers for diagnostic tool of HCC patients and to compare to circulating levels of MicroRNAs in chronic liver diseases patients and health volunteers and those HCC patients and To determine the clinical utility of MicroRNAs as a diagnostic maker of hepatocellular carcinoma comparing with alpha fetoprotein the current marker of (HCC).