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Virus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma with special emphasis on HBV

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Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with high lethality, and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a chief cause. HBV can accelerate HCC via multiple mechanisms. First, HBV induces immune reactions that lead to repeated hepatic inflammation, fibrosis and a deficient immune microenvironment. Subsequently, HBV can modify host genes near the insertion point through DNA integration to cause host cell genome instability and to generate carcinogenic fusion proteins. Additionally, HBV expresses diverse active proteins, especially HBx and HBs, which have a range of transactivation functions such as regulation of apoptosis, interference with intracellular signaling pathways, and alteration of epigenetics. Currently, primary prevention measures for HBV-induced HCC focus on vaccination and antiviral treatment. Here, we report the epidemiology, the molecular mechanism and the progress in therapeutic strategies for controlling HBV-induced HCC.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mr. Muyang Yang for preparing the figure.

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  1. Department of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No 1095, Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Ming Wang, Dong Xi & Qin Ning

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  1. Ming Wang
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Correspondence to Qin Ning.

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Wang, M., Xi, D. & Ning, Q. Virus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma with special emphasis on HBV. Hepatol Int 11, 171–180 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-016-9779-5

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