title: The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and its role in the occurrence and development of HCC.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common tumor worldwide and has a very poor prognosis. Its occurrence has been on the increase in recent years. Surgical resection and liver transplantation are the primary methods of treatment for HCC patients, but can only be applied to 15% of patients. The median survival time of unresectable or metastasizing HCC patients is only a few months. Existing systemic treatment methods are not effective for advanced HCC patients and a new method of treatment is needed for these patients. It has been established that the HCC occurs in multiple stages, however, the pathogenesis at a molecular level is not clear and many key factors are yet to be determined. In the past 30 years, it has become evident that the Ras/Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of HCC. This review focused on the association between the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei 056029, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei 056029, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guo-Dong
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei 056029, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei 056029, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei 056029, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Li-Yuan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei 056029, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ze-Xian
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Fu
keywords: MEK; Raf; Ras; extracellular signal-regulated kinase; hepatocellular carcinoma