Molecular Mechanism and Prediction of Sorafenib Chemoresistance in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

摘要

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer death [1], and prognosis of advanced HCC, such as vascular invasion and extrahepatic metastasis, is unsatisfactory. To date, sorafenib is the only molecular targeted agent that has improved the time to progression and overall survival in advanced HCC cases [2]. According to the previous reports, only a small number of patients show a regression of tumor after the initiation of sorafenib treatment, suggesting that the main action of the drug is the induction of a dormant state of tumor [3-5]. Nevertheless, a considerable number of HCCs are refractory to sorafenib, and such patients show unfavorable prognosis with reduced survival as their tumor progresses. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms of acquiring chemoresistance to sorafenib and also discuss the molecular profile that predicts the effect of this promising molecular targeted agent.