Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Dec 27, 2023; 15(12): 1258-1271
Published online Dec 27, 2023. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i12.1258
Multifunctional roles of inflammation and its causative factors in primary liver cancer: A literature review
Hong-Jin Chen, Ting-Xiong Huang, Yu-Xi Jiang, Xiong Chen, Ai-Fang Wang
Hong-Jin Chen, Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
Ting-Xiong Huang, School of Clinical Medical, Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
Yu-Xi Jiang, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang Province, China
Xiong Chen, Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
Xiong Chen, Ai-Fang Wang, Department of Endocrinology, The People's Hospital of Yuhuan, The Yuhuan Branch of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Yuhuan 317600, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Chen HJ and Chen X contributed to drafting the outline of this review; Chen HJ, Huang TX, and Jiang YX contributed to drafting the manuscript; Chen X and Wang AF contributed to finalizing the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82260567; Science and Technology Fund of Guizhou Provincial Health Commission, No. gzwkj2022-082; Excellent Young Talents Plan of Guizhou Medical University, No. 2023(112); Taizhou Social Development Science and Technology Plan Project, No. 23ywb146; and Start-up Fund of Guizhou Medical University, No. J2021032.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ai-Fang Wang, MD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Endocrinology, The People's Hospital of Yuhuan, The Yuhuan Branch of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, No. 18 Changle Road, Yucheng Street, Yuhuan 317600, China. 459081183@qq.com
Received: August 21, 2023
Peer-review started: August 21, 2023
First decision: September 27, 2023
Revised: November 6, 2023
Accepted: November 24, 2023
Article in press: November 24, 2023
Published online: December 27, 2023
Abstract

Primary liver cancer is a severe and complex disease, leading to 800000 global deaths annually. Emerging evidence suggests that inflammation is one of the critical factors in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients with viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, and steatohepatitis symptoms are at higher risk of developing HCC. However, not all inflammatory factors have a pathogenic function in HCC development. The current study describes the process and mechanism of hepatitis development and its progression to HCC, particularly focusing on viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, and steatohepatitis. Furthermore, the roles of some essential inflammatory cytokines in HCC progression are described in addition to a summary of future research directions.

Keywords: Inflammation, Primary liver cancer, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Hepatitis virus

Core Tip: Primary liver cancer is the second most common tumor in the world, and the number of deaths due to this disease is increasing every year. A large number of studies have shown that inflammation has a certain regulatory effect in the occurrence and exacerbation of liver cancer. However, the function of inflammation in liver cancer remains to be studied. This review introduces the classification of hepatitis, the correlation between various inflammatory factors and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and some of the anti-inflammatory drugs used in the treatment of HCC.