Functional and genetic deconstruction of the cellular origin in liver cancer

Jens U Marquardt, Jesper B Andersen, Snorri S Thorgeirsson

    165 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    During the past decade, research on primary liver cancers has particularly highlighted the uncommon plasticity of differentiated parenchymal liver cells (that is, hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (also known as biliary epithelial cells)), the role of liver progenitor cells in malignant transformation, the importance of the tumour microenvironment and the molecular complexity of liver tumours. Whereas other reviews have focused on the landscape of genetic alterations that promote development and progression of primary liver cancers and the role of the tumour microenvironment, the crucial importance of the cellular origin of liver cancer has been much less explored. Therefore, in this Review, we emphasize the importance and complexity of the cellular origin in tumour initiation and progression, and attempt to integrate this aspect with recent discoveries in tumour genomics and the contribution of the disrupted hepatic microenvironment to liver carcinogenesis.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalNature Reviews. Cancer
    Volume15
    Issue number11
    Pages (from-to)653-67
    Number of pages15
    ISSN1474-175X
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 23 Oct 2015

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