Emergence of cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer represents the second most deadly human malignancy. The major histological subtype called hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) arises by chronic inflammation‐triggered regenerative responses of normally quiescent hepatocytes and progenitors, respectively. Such regenerative stress accelerates the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes (Yamashita & Wang, [Yamashita T, 2013]), while detailed mechanisms remain uncertain. In this issue of The EMBO Journal , Nikolaou et al present a novel HCC model that facilitates both isolation and molecular characterization of self‐renewing, HCC ‐propagating cancer stem cells that could instruct future interventions (Nikolaou et al , [Nikolaou KC, 2014]).