Published online May 28, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i20.2524
Peer-review started: January 23, 2019
First decision: February 21, 2019
Revised: March 6, 2019
Accepted: March 24, 2019
Article in press: March 25, 2019
Published online: May 28, 2019
Core tip: All experimental studies strongly support the ability of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors to counteract carcinogenesis essentially by inhibiting angiogenesis and possibly fibrogenesis in chemically-induced or xeno-transplanted hepatocarcinomas, whereas additional pathogenetic mechanisms using animal models that mimic the progression of liver disease in humans and have been barely considered. In all randomized clinical trials, RAS inhibitors - in combination with other therapies - significantly reduced cumulative hepatocarcinoma recurrence. However, the data on patient survival obtained by these studies and several observational studies are not conclusive. The beneficial effect of the early use of RAS inhibitors on the progression of cirrhosis toward hepatocarcinoma cannot be excluded.