Published online Aug 8, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i16.2020
Peer-review started: April 21, 2015
First decision: July 1, 2015
Revised: July 6, 2015
Accepted: July 23, 2015
Article in press: July 27, 2015
Published online: August 8, 2015
Processing time: 110 Days and 19.7 Hours
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.
Core tip: Recent progress in molecular biology enabled understanding of the mechanisms underlying hepatocarcinogenesis and identification of useful biomarkers. According to these findings, further efforts would be needed to improve understanding of these molecular mechanisms and to establish novel therapeutic approaches.