Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biotechnology, JSS Science and Technology University, JSS Technical Institutions Campus, Mysore, Karnataka, 570006, India
  • 2 Department of Studies in Chemistry, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore, 570 006, Karnataka, India
  • 3 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
  • 5 School of Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Biosciences Research Precinct, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
  • 6 Department of Biotechnology, JSS Science and Technology University, JSS Technical Institutions Campus, Mysore, Karnataka, 570006, India. nanju_chem@yahoo.com
  • 7 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Larkin Health Sciences Institute, 18301 N. Miami Avenue, Miami, FL, 33169, USA. abishayee@ULarkin.org
Target Oncol, 2017 02;12(1):1-10.
PMID: 27510230 DOI: 10.1007/s11523-016-0452-7

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common forms of liver cancer diagnosed worldwide. HCC occurs due to chronic liver disease and is often diagnosed at advanced stages. Chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin are currently used as first-line agents for HCC therapy, but these are non-selective cytotoxic molecules with significant side effects. Sorafenib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the only approved targeted drug for HCC patients. However, due to adverse side effects and limited efficacy, there is a need for the identification of novel pharmacological drugs beyond sorafenib. Several agents that target and inhibit various signaling pathways involved in HCC are currently being assessed for HCC treatment. In the present review article, we summarize the diverse signal transduction pathways responsible for initiation as well as progression of HCC and also the potential anticancer effects of selected targeted therapies that can be employed for HCC therapy.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.