Finding the seed of recurrence: Hepatocellular carcinoma circulating tumor cells and their potential to drive the surgical treatment

Figure 1 Hepatocellular carcinoma releases tumor cells into circulation where they become circulating tumor cells. Circulating tumor cells after evading the immune system can cause hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence or distant metastasis. The liquid biopsy intercepts these cells into the bloodstream and allows to study the tumor characteristics and guarantee personalized therapy. CTCs: Circulating tumor cells; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.