Premium
Adult stem cells in progression and therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma
Author(s) -
Herr Ingrid,
Groth Ariane,
Schemmer Peter,
Büchler Markus W.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.23041
Subject(s) - hepatocellular carcinoma , stem cell , medicine , progenitor cell , cancer stem cell , carcinoma , oncology , cancer research , disease , liver function , regeneration (biology) , stem cell therapy , pathology , cancer , mesenchymal stem cell , biology , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most aggressive solid tumours associated with poor prognosis. Despite its significance, there is only an elemental understanding of the mechanisms that drive disease pathogenesis, and there are just limited therapy options. The medical community is currently experiencing a wave of enthusiasm for clinical trials, in which adult stem/progenitor cells are used for liver regeneration. This is based on promising results in animal models and encouraging reports from some initial clinical studies. On the other hand, several essential precautions are not being fully addressed. Stem cells may contribute to fibrosis or give rise to hepatic cancer stem cells as a source of hepatocellular carcinoma. This review outlines the current state of knowledge in progression of liver disease and highlights the function of adult stem cells in disease and therapy. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.