title: Novel strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma based on MMPs science.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a cancer with extremely poor prognosis. This review discusses the pathological characteristics of multi-step hepatocarcinogenesis, tumor growth, invasion and metastasis, the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors via signal transduction in relation to dedifferentiation of hepatoma cells. It introduces the reports on anti-cancer agents in the field of MMP science, and finally describes novel strategies for the early stages of HCC in relation to cancer stem cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Sanno Hospital, International University of Health and Welfare, 8-10-16 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan. iokazaki@iuhw.ac.jp
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inagaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases