Circular RNA 0016788 displays as a biomarker for tumor progression and poor prognosis in surgical hepatocellular carcinoma patients

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of circular RNA 0016788 (circ_0016788) regarding its correlation with tumor progression and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Two hundred and seventy‐eight HCC patients who received tumor resection were retrospectively analyzed. Circ_0016788 expression in 278 tumor tissues and 116 adjacent tissues was detected by reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Circ_0016788 was elevated in tumor tissue compared with adjacent tissue, and it had an excellent value in distinguishing tumor tissue from adjacent tissue (area under the curve: 0.913; 95% confidence interval: 0.885‐0.941). Furthermore, circ_0016788 correlated to higher performance status score, larger tumor size, increased Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage, abnormal aspartate aminotransferase, abnormal alpha‐fetoprotein, and abnormal carbohydrate antigen 199 levels. Moreover, by Kaplan‐Meier curve and log‐rank test, circ_0016788 high expression correlated with shorter overall survival (OS). Importantly, multivariate Cox's regression analysis displayed that circ_0016788 high expression, older age (≥60 years), history of hepatitis B, history of liver cirrhosis, raised Child‐Pugh stage (B vs A), multifocal disease, largest tumor size (≥5 cm), and increased BCLC stage (B vs A) were independent predictors for poorer OS. CONCLUSION: Circ_0016788 displays the potential as a biomarker for assisting personalized treatment, tumor management, and prognosis surveillance in surgical HCC patients.