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ABSTRACT
Background
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in peripheral blood has become a promising noninvasive biomarker. However, the diagnostic potential of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related ctDNA for liver cancer is controversial. Here, we aimed to access the diagnostic potential and clinicopathological features of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related ctDNA in liver cancer and provide data support for its clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Methods
A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify the relevant studies. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the QUADAS-2 tool. The bivariate linear mixed models were used.
Results
The AUC (area under the curve), pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.77, 0.42 and 0.98, respectively. The findings suggested that control type, sample source, research methods and thresholds were the potential sources of heterogeneity (p < 0.05). Additionally, this study also found that there were significant correlations between the hypermethylation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related ctDNA and tumor size, TNM stage, distant metastasis, and HBV infection(p < 0.05).
Conclusion
This study confirmed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related ctDNA had the better diagnostic potential for liver cancer and might be an effective complementary tool for serum AFP assays in the early diagnosis of liver cancer.
Prospero
(No. CRD42023404984).
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Article highlights
Genetic alterations in genes related to Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which detected in ctDNA promotes HCC tumorigenesis and cancer progression
The current study demonstrates that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related ctDNA has the better diagnostic potential for liver cancer.
The hypermethylation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related ctDNA is related to tumor size, TNM stage, distant metastasis, and HBV infection.
86% of the included studies utilized a two-gate design for quality assessment, which might have introduced selection bias.
Declaration of interest
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Reviewer disclosures
Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.
Ethical approval and Informed consent
All analyses in the current study are aligned with established medical ethics guidelines. The current study is solely based on data that has already been published in the public domain. Thus, ethical approval and informed consent was not needed.
Data availability statement
This study’s generated or analyzed data are all included in the published article, or provided as supplementary files.
Author contribution statement
X Ma: Conception and design, collection and assembly of data, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing and final approval of the manuscript. Z Wang: Conception and design, data analysis, manuscript writing and final approval of the manuscript (equivalent contributor). S Wang: Data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing. Y Tian: Data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing. B Xie: Manuscript writing and final approval of the manuscript. J Li: Data analysis and interpretation. B Ma: Study design, conceptualization, analysis, manuscript writing and final approval of the manuscript. L Li: study design, conceptualization, analysis, manuscript writing and final approval of the manuscript.
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14737140.2024.2312246