Evidence mapPaperPMID 40164825Full record

ArticleDiscover oncology2025

Assessing the effect of modifiable risk factors on hepatocellular carcinoma: evidence from a bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis.

Lijuan Wei, Enci Ding, Dongyan Lu, Zhongying Rui, Jie Shen, Guoju Fan

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In one paragraph

Article in Discover oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lijuan WeiDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Enci DingDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Dongyan LuDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Zhongying RuiDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Jie ShenDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Guoju FanDepartment of Vascular Surgery, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, No. 23, Pingjiang Road, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300211, China. kevinbelin@sina.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) involves a variety of environmental risk factors, some of which have yet to be fully clarified. Using the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, this study comprehensively investigates the causal effect of genetically predicted modifiable risk factors on HCC.

methodsGenetic variants related to the 50 risk factors that had been identified in previous research were derived from genome-wide association studies. Summary statistics for the discovery cohort and validation cohort of HCC were sourced from the FinnGen consortium and the UK Biobank, respectively. Bidirectional MR analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to establish causative risk factors for HCC.

resultsThrough the inverse variance weighted method, the results of the discovery cohort indicated that waist circumference, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly linked to HCC occurrence risk. Furthermore, body fat percentage, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), obesity class 1-3, waist-to-hip ratio, iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, and urate had suggestive associations with HCC. The validation cohort further confirmed that NAFLD and ALT levels were strongly related to HCC. Reverse MR indicated that genetic susceptibility to HCC was connected to NAFLD and transferrin saturation. Sensitivity analyses showed that most of the findings were robust.

conclusionThis MR study delivers evidence of the complex causal relationship between modifiable risk factors and HCC. These findings offer new insights into potential prevention and treatment strategies for HCC.

Indexed as

Causal relationshipGenome-wide association studyHepatocellular carcinomaMendelian randomizationModifiable risk factors

Identifiers

PMID40164825
PMCPMC11958933

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.