title: Translational medicine in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly complex disease that is generally resistant to commonly used chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Consequently, there is an urgent need for the development of new treatment strategies for this devastating disease. In the past decade, tremendous progress has been achieved in the molecular stratification of HCCs for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic decision-making. To date, the molecular classification of HCCs has been carried out through transcriptomic, genetic and epigenetic profiling of tumors. Such research has led to identification of several potential molecular targets in HCC, and subsequently, development of novel systemic agents for the treatment of HCC has begun in earnest. In this article, we review the current knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis of HCC and outline potential areas for application of this knowledge in a clinical setting. As a typical virus and inflammation-associated cancer, both host immune response and tumor microenvironment have crucial roles in HCC pathogenesis. In addition, we examine the potential of immunotherapy and strategies targeting various components of the tumor microenvironment, as well as novel molecular and cellular targets in HCC such as cancer stem cells.
authors.affiliation: Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yinghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Shuangjian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005819:Genetic Markers