Molecular targeting for treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major global health problem, which has a grave morbidity and mortality. Over the past few decades, no effective systemic therapeutic modalities have been established for patients with the unresectable HCC in advanced stage. Sorafenib is a small molecule that blocks cancer cell proliferation by targeting the intracellular signaling pathway at the level of Raf-1 and B-Raf serine-threonine kinases, and exerts an anti-angiogenic effect by targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1, 2 and 3, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta tyrosine kinases. Recently, two clinical successful applications, SHARP and Asia-Pacific trial, of multikinase inhibitor sorafenib represent a significant advance in the treatment of advanced HCC patients without a curative chance. However, because the results of clinical trials show diverse responses in a subset of HCC patients, a molecular classification of HCC through the excavation of specific biomarkers related to its biological behavior is necessary for sorting HCC patients to each group with a biological homogeneity, ultimately leading to the most suitable individualization of molecular targeted therapy in HCC.
Department of Internal Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea. ihsong21@dankook.ac.kr
Il Han
IH
Song
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001557:Benzenesulfonates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D011725:Pyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017479:Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000077157:Sorafenib
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001557:Benzenesulfonates; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds; D011725:Pyridines; D009536:Niacinamide; D000077157:Sorafenib; D017479:Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf