Pathogenesis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma at the cellular and molecular levels.
Different approaches predict the outcome for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression of biliary-hepatic progenitor cell markers generally correlates with poor prognosis. This article focuses on the pathogenesis of HCC, how differentiation or dedifferentiation leads to a phenotype switch, and heterogeneity in the same tumor. A tumor cell decides its fate based on a complex interplay of signaling pathways. Interaction with the microenvironment decides whether it will invade, proliferate, or enter survival mode. Several signaling pathways contribute to stemness features, reflecting a small chemoresistant subpopulation of the tumor that expresses biliary-hepatic progenitor cell markers.
Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KULeuven and University Hospitals Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 12, Leuven B3000, Belgium. Electronic address: olivier.govaere@med.kuleuven.be.
Olivier
O
Govaere
Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KULeuven and University Hospitals Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 12, Leuven B3000, Belgium. Electronic address: tania.roskams@med.kuleuven.be.
Tania
T
Roskams
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D054337:Cell Dedifferentiation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D000066670:Cell Plasticity; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D059467:Transcriptome; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
Cell of origin; Chemoresistant cancer stem cells; Hepatic progenitor cell features; Microenvironment; Phenotype switching; Prognosis; Tumor behavior