Translating Fibrosis to Malignancy: Biomarkers and Therapeutic Opportunities in Liver Fibrosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

So far, validated biomarker tools for fibrosis, like FIB-4, Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) and combined direct/indirect markers of liver damage and tissue remodeling, are used for fibrosis staging, while HCC detection leverages serum parameters like α-fetoprotein (AFP) or, more recently, multi-omics approaches (miRNA, cfDNA, metabolomics). Understanding the interconnection of these pathways can lead to novel targeted therapies (e.g., TGFβ inhibitors) that may show dual antifibrotic and antitumor activity in future studies.