Review
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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 7, 2013; 19(37): 6144-6155
Published online Oct 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i37.6144
Molecular targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: Current and future
Jung Woo Shin, Young-Hwa Chung
Jung Woo Shin, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan 682-714, South Korea
Young-Hwa Chung, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 138-736, South Korea
Author contributions: Shin JW and Chung YH designed this study, collected all the data and wrote the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Young-Hwa Chung, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 86 Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736, South Korea. yhchung@amc.seoul.kr
Telephone: +82-2-30103184 Fax: +82-2-4760824
Received: April 2, 2013
Revised: July 18, 2013
Accepted: August 4, 2013
Published online: October 7, 2013
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.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Targeted therapy, Molecular agents, Sorafenib

Core tip: Sorafenib is the first drug to prolong survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This advance has shifted the paradigm of systemic treatment for HCC toward molecular targeted therapy. 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.