Abstract: Objective To assess the expression level of long non-coding ribose nucleic acid (lnc RNA) colon cancer associated transcript-1 (CCAT1) in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its changes before and after interventional or radiofrequency treatment, and to explore its potential as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker for HCC.Methods Blood samples were collected from 66 HCC patients and 50 healthy controls, among whom 37 HCC patients received interventional or radiofrequency treatment. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the CCAT1 levels. The expression levels of CCAT1 were compared between HCC patients and healthy controls, as well as before and 1 month after intervention or radiofrequency therapy in HCC patients. Results The level of CCAT1 was significantly higher in HCC patients than that in healthy controls (P=0.016). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of CCAT1 for the diagnosis HCC was 0.782 (95% confidence interval: 0.692-0.873, P<0.001). The expression level of CCAT1 of 37 patients with HCC was decreased after radiofrequency ablation or interventional treatment (P=0.003). High expression of plasma CCAT1 was significantly associated with advanced Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage.Conclusion The expression level of CCTA1 can be used as a noninvasive biomarker for HCC and help to predict therapeutic efficacy.

Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Long non-coding ribose nucleic acid, Colon cancer associated transcript-1, Plasma, Biomarker