Biological features and biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Similar to other cancers, a multistep process of carcinogenesis is observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although the mechanisms underlying the development of HCC have been investigated in terms of oncology, virology, and stem cell biology, the whole picture of hepatocarcinogenesis remains to be elucidated. Recent progress in molecular biology has provided clues to the underlying cause of various diseases. In particular, sequencing technologies, such as whole genome and exome sequencing analyses, have made an impact on genomic research on a variety of cancers including HCC. Comprehensive genomic analyses have detected numerous abnormal genetic alterations, such as mutations and copy number alterations. Based on these findings, signaling pathways and cancer-related genes involved in hepatocarcinogenesis could be analyzed in detail. Simultaneously, a number of novel biomarkers, both from tissue and blood samples, have been recently reported. These biomarkers have been successfully applied to early diagnosis and prognostic prediction of patients with HCC. In this review, we focus on the recent developments in molecular cancer research on HCC and explain the biological features and novel biomarkers.
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Tetsuhiro
T
Chiba
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Eiichiro
E
Suzuki
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Tomoko
T
Saito
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Sadahisa
S
Ogasawara
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Yoshihiko
Y
Ooka
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Akinobu
A
Tawada
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Atsushi
A
Iwama
Tetsuhiro Chiba, Eiichiro Suzuki, Tomoko Saito, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Yoshihiko Ooka, Akinobu Tawada, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Osamu
O
Yokosuka
Hepatocellular carcinoma; Heterogenity; Molecular biology; Oncology; Sorafenib