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©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2015; 21(42): 12171-12178
Published online Nov 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i42.12171
Published online Nov 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i42.12171
Hypoxia inducible factor in hepatocellular carcinoma: A therapeutic target
Daniel Lin, Fellow Hematology and Medical Oncology Program, NYU School of Medicine, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, Division of Hematology and Oncology, New York, NY 10016, United States
Jennifer Wu, NYU School of Medicine, Subdivision of GI Oncology, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, Division of Hematology and Oncology, New York, NY 10016, United States
Author contributions: Lin D conducted literature review, drafted manuscript, and provided all figures; Wu J provided the theme and layout for the review, provided key references, edited manuscript, and provided final approval.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest associated with any of the senior author or other coauthors who contributed their efforts in this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Jennifer Wu, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, Subdivision of GI Oncology, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, Division of Hematology and Oncology, 550 First Avenue, BCD 556, New York, NY 10016, United States. jennifer.wu@nyumc.org
Telephone: +1-212-2636485 Fax: +1-212-2638210
Received: April 28, 2015
Peer-review started: May 5, 2015
First decision: July 14, 2015
Revised: July 27, 2015
Accepted: September 30, 2015
Article in press: September 30, 2015
Published online: November 14, 2015
Peer-review started: May 5, 2015
First decision: July 14, 2015
Revised: July 27, 2015
Accepted: September 30, 2015
Article in press: September 30, 2015
Published online: November 14, 2015
Core Tip
Core tip: Beyond sorafenib, limited systemic treatment options exist for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factor alpha (HIF-1α) have emerged as important factors in the development of HCC. This review focuses on the scientific background and pre-clinical data of HIF-1α and will conclude in a discussion of the clinical relevance of this transcription factor and its potential therapeutic role, particularly in combination with other therapies, in HCC. A phase IB clinical trial to investigate a HIF-1α mRNA antagonist in HCC patients who have failed first line systemic treatment is currently underway.