Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a complex form of liver cancer that is caused by a variety of risk factors. It has poor prognosis as it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Hepatocellular carcinoma is not amenable to standard chemotherapy and is resistant to radiotherapy, making surgical resection and liver transplantation the only curative treatment options. Therefore, the development of novel, effective therapeutics is critical to treat an increasingly large number of liver cancer patients. Extensive research over the past decade has identified a number of molecular biomarkers as well as cellular networks and signaling pathways that are affected in liver cancer. These efforts have resulted in the development of novel therapies such as targeted therapies. In this review, the contribution of these newer approaches towards the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma is discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 157-164 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Cancer and Chemotherapy Reviews |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - Jul 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- HCC
- Molecular mechanisms
- Signal transduction
- Targeted therapies
- Treatments
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Pharmacology (medical)