One of the primary complications of cirrhosis and portal hypertension is the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is among the most common malignancies worldwide. There is limited availability of predictive non-invasive markers for primary HCC development in compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) patients. The reference standard method of assessing prognosis for cACLD patients, beyond liver fibrosis assessed by histology, is the measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). HVPG ≥ 10 mmHg is associated with an increased risk of HCC in these patients. However, these methods are expensive and invasive and are available only at referral centers. In the last decade, several studies have focused on the evaluation of several, simple, non-invasive tests (NITs) as predictors of HCC development. Among these methods, attention has particularly been paid to the elastographic techniques for the assessment of liver and spleen stiffness. We have reviewed the current literature about vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE), magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), and other ultrasound-based elastographic techniques (e.g., SWE) in predicting primary HCC occurrence and recurrence. Despite promising results, the overall heterogeneity resulting from the variability in the populations analyzed, the differences in the elastographic techniques used, the design and methodological quality of the available studies, prevented us from drawing definite conclusions on the liver and spleen stiffness role for predicting HCC occurrence and recurrence in chronic liver disease patients.

The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes a lower survival rate even after systemic treatment. Previous studies have shown evidence that various molecular and epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the transition of HCC from normal liver cells. Epigenetics plays an important role in maintaining genomic stability in normal liver cells. Apart from the mutation of genes, epigenetic factors are involved in HCC progression. miRNA tends to be a major epigenetic factor involved in regulating major cell cycle pathways. miRNA regulates the HCC progression by inhibiting the major apoptotic pathways and favors angiogenesis and tumor microenvironment. Apart from regulating major pathways, miRNA appears to regulate tight junction integrity. Tight junction proteins appear to be strong barrier proteins involved in cell adhesion and integrity. Disturbance in cell adhesion and integrity leads to the major dysregulation of cell cycle resulting in cancer progression. Moreover, dysregulation of tight junction integrity was observed in the pathogenesis of HCC. The regulation of tight junction proteins via miRNA were studied in various diseases. Here, we discussed the regulation of tight junction proteins via miRNA in HCC progression. This review may focus on the significance of miRNA in cellular function and its role in regulating tight junction proteins that impact in HCC progression which opens a new approach to develop a new diagnostic marker for an early detection of HCC and novel therapeutic approach against HCC.

Chronic liver diseases (CLDs), which are typically characterized by fibrogenic progression towards liver cirrhosis and related complications eventually leading to organ failure and can also lead to the development of primary liver cancers, represent a major burden for human health on a worldwide basis. Although the present knowledge on the pathogenesis of CLDs progression and primary liver cancers development has remarkably increased in the last decades, critical molecular mediators remain incompletely understood, and approved antifibrotic therapies to efficiently counteract CLDs progression and liver cancer are lacking. In the present review, this study will specifically analyse the putative contribution of SERPINB3, a member of the superfamily of serine-protease inhibitors (SERPINs), which has been shown to exert significant pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic roles in progressive CLDs as well as to be involved in the development of primary liver cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma, and hepatoblastoma.