Field Of Vision
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 28, 2014; 20(28): 9217-9228
Published online Jul 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i28.9217
Could metabolic syndrome lead to hepatocarcinoma via non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
Antonella Scalera, Giovanni Tarantino
Antonella Scalera, Giovanni Tarantino, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy
Giovanni Tarantino, National Cancer Institute “Pascale Foundation”-IRCS, 83013 Mercogliano (Av), Italy
Author contributions: Tarantino G conceived the research; Scalera A analyzed the studies and drafted the manuscript; Tarantino G critically revised the literature.
Correspondence to: Giovanni Tarantino, MD, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy. tarantin@unina.it
Telephone: +39-81-7462024 Fax: +39-81-5466152
Received: December 20, 2013
Revised: April 1, 2014
Accepted: April 15, 2014
Published online: July 28, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus are strictly related and are key pathogenetic factors in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, one of the most frequent liver diseases worldwide. It is necessary to stress that one of the most important consequences of the “metabolic epidemics” is the probable rise in the incidence of cancers, particularly hepatocarcinoma. Thus, to improve survival, efforts to achieve a “healthier diet” should be promoted by physicians and politicians, even though no changes in genes have been observed in the postprandial state induced after the acute effect of specific diets in patients exhibiting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.