Molecular Targeting in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Globally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the fifth most common cause of cancer and is diagnosed in 500,000 patients annually. Recent molecular and epidemiologic analyses of tumor specimens suggest a complex and heterogeneous pathogenesis of HCC. Despite this hetergeneity, specific molecular pathways have been identified in the progression of HCC and there is increasing evidence that experimental approaches targeting these pathways have been initiated with a variety of targeted agents, which will be reviewed in this chapter. The potential of targeting therapeutics for HCC has been recently validated in a randomized Phase III clinical trial of sorafenib for advanced HCC. Some of the remaining challenges in using molecular targeted treatment for HCC will be discussed.