Methods to determine the subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma

A method for determining the subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a subject comprising: a) obtaining a sample of liver tissue of a subject having a subtype of CHC, selected from one or more of: hepatocellular carcinoma type epithelium bile duct (BDE-CHC); hepatocellular carcinoma type liver stem cells (HSC-CHC); hepatocellular carcinoma hepatocyte progenitors type (HP-CHC); and hepatocellular carcinoma type mature hepatocytes (MH-CHC); b) conducting a laboratory analysis of the sample to determine the expression of one or more biomarkers Family biomarkers miR-181 in the sample, c) correlating the expression of one or more biomarkers Family miR -181 in the sample with subtype of HCC in the subject, and d) determining the subtype of HCC in the sample from the correlation, wherein; i) overexpression of one or more of miR-181a-1 and miR-181a-2, compared to expression levels in non-tumor tissue is indicative of hepatocellular carcinoma epithelial bile duct (BDE-CHC) type; ii) overexpression of one or more of miR-181b-1 and miR-181b-2, and the absence or underexpression of one or more miR-181a-1 and miR-181a-2, compared to expression levels in non-tumor tissue it is indicative of hepatocellular carcinoma type liver stem (HSC-HCC) cells; iii) the underexpression of one or more miR-181a-2, miR-181b-1 and miR-181b-2, compared to expression levels in non-tumor tissue, and the absence of overexpression and underexpression of miR-181a1 compared to expression levels in non-tumor tissue is indicative of hepatocellular carcinoma hepatocyte progenitors type (HP-CHC); and iv) underexpression of miR-181a-1, compared to expression levels in non-tumor tissue is indicative of hepatocellular carcinoma type mature hepatocytes (MH-CHC).