Signaling pathway/molecular targets and new targeted agents under development in hepatocellular carcinoma

Figure 1 Signal transduction in solid cancer cells including hepatocellular carcinoma. Some of the genes known to be functionally altered are highlighted in red. These signaling pathways, including growth factor pathway, Wnt pathway, Hedgehog pathway, Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, and Jak/Stat pathway, can be a molecular targets for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. (Cited and modified from Hanahan et al[10] with permission.) EGFR: Epidermal growth factor receptor; TGF: Transforming growth factor; IGF: Insulin-like growth factor; MAPK: Mitogen-activated protein kinase; PI3K: Phosphoinositide 3-kinase; ERK: Extracellular signaling-regulated kinase; NF-κB: Nuclear factor-kappa B; IL: Interleukin.