The summaries are free for public
use. The Chronic Liver Disease
Foundation will continue to add and
archive summaries of articles deemed
relevant to CLDF by the Board of
Trustees and its Advisors.
Abstract Details
Molecular targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: current and future
Shin JW, Chung YH. World J Gastroenterol. 2013 Oct 7;19(37):6144-55. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i37.6144.
Author information
Jung Woo Shin, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan 682-714, South Korea.
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent tumors worldwide. The majority of HCC cases occur in patients with chronic liver disease. Despite regular surveillance to detect small HCC in these patients, HCC is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Because HCC is highly resistant to conventional systemic therapies, the prognosis for advanced HCC patients remains poor. The introduction of sorafenib as the standard systemic therapy has unveiled a new direction for future research regarding HCC treatment. However, given the limited efficacy of the drug, a need exists to look beyond sorafenib. Many molecular targeted agents that inhibit different pathways involved in hepatocarcinogenesis are under various phases of clinical development, and novel targets are being assessed in HCC. This review aims to summarize the efforts to target molecular components of the signaling pathways that are responsible for the development and progression of HCC and to discuss perspectives on the future direction of research.