Hepatic Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma constitutes an ongoing challenge due to its incidence and the high mortality related to it. Metastases and relapses even after treatment with curative intent are frequent. The liver is a common site for metastasis because of anatomical and physiological reasons; its position, the particular cytoarchitecture and cell populations, and its peculiar immunologic properties make it a favorable and tolerogenic environment; the inflammatory state with the alteration of the cytoarchitecture and of the microcirculation associated, and gut permeability and metabolic diseases cause the development of a liable site to progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. The difficulty of always having an early diagnosis and the lack of therapeutic flow charts including the biological behavior of the disease have always posed great difficulties in dealing with it. In the last few years, mechanisms involved in the onset and in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma are a source of great interest; the discovery of pro-neoplastic and pro-metastatic conditions, of the cross talk between organs and cells, of progression pathways, of mediators contributing to proliferation and metastasis and of modular check points, of miRNAs, all potential therapeutic targets, appear promising for transforming the approach to hepatocarcinoma, offering the possibility of earlier diagnosis, customizable treatments, and better outcome.