Study of role of melanoma-associated antigen D1 (MAGE-D1) in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the fifth most common neoplasm and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Current serum biomarkers for HCC surveillance and early diagnosis, particularly alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) the most commonly used marker, lack satisfactory sensitivity and specificity, highlighting an urgent need for more effective markers with higher accuracy for early HCC detection. The downregulation of melanoma-associated antigen D1 (MAGE-D1) transcription plays a crucial role in apoptosis and inhibits cancer cell proliferation when expressed ectopically.