Identification of STEAP4, EPC1, and CLEC1B as non-invasive candidate biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma using integrated bioinformatics analysis

• Cytokine-related pathways dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) • STEAP4, EPC1, CLEC1B , and LCN2 were identified as the shared non-invasive biomarkers. • Targeted miRNAs were identified, including miR-107, miR-326, GAS5, MALAT1, PRLP0P6, and SNHG1. • Protein-protein networks were constructed between mRNAs and miRNAs in HCC. The high global mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) underscores the need for reliable non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. In this study, transcriptomic analyses were performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and tumor datasets from HCC patients to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using an adjusted p-value < 0.01 and |log2FC| > 1. Functional enrichment analyses revealed predominant immune-related pathways in PBMCs and metabolic pathway dysregulation in tumor tissues. Integration of PBMC and tumor profiles identified STEAP4, EPC1, CLEC1B, and LCN2 as shared DEGs. Survival analyses indicated that elevated expression of STEAP4, EPC1, and CLEC1B was associated with poorer overall survival in HCC patients. Collectively, these findings highlight consistent transcriptional alterations in PBMCs and tumor tissues and suggest that STEAP4, EPC1, and CLEC1B may serve as potential non-invasive biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic relevance in HCC.