Hepatocellular Carcinoma Prognostics and Therapeutic Targets
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, often developing on a background of chronic liver disease. Prognostic assessment hinges on a combination of clinical staging, serum biomarkers and molecular profiling to predict tumour behaviour and guide treatment. Traditional markers such as alpha-fetoprotein and imaging-based scores are supplemented by emerging signatures derived from genetic, epigenetic and metabolic alterations. Therapeutic strategies have evolved from broad-spectrum cytotoxics to targeted agents and immune modulators that interrupt key oncogenic pathways. Recent research has uncovered novel drivers of HCC progression, including aberrant protein myristoylation, dysregulated RNA-binding proteins and G protein subunit overexpression. The integration of functional genomics, patient-derived models and mechanistic studies is refining prognostic tools and pinpointing new molecular targets with the potential to improve personalised care and long-term survival.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Prognostics and Therapeutic Targets publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in hepatocellular carcinoma prognostics and therapeutic targets across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Primary malignancy of the liver arising from hepatocytes.
N-myristoylation: Covalent attachment of a myristic acid lipid to a protein’s N-terminus, modulating localisation and function.
Patient-derived organoid (PDO): Three-dimensional mini-organ culture established from a patient’s tumour tissue to model disease in vitro.
Xenograft: Transplantation of human tumour cells into immunodeficient animals to study cancer growth and treatment responses.
AKT signalling pathway: A central intracellular cascade regulating cell survival, metabolism and proliferation.
References
- Blockade of NMT1 enzymatic activity inhibits N-myristoylation of VILIP3 protein and suppresses liver cancer progression. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023).
- RNA-binding protein CCDC137 activates AKT signaling and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma through a novel non-canonical role of DGCR8 in mRNA localization. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research (2023).
- Identification of G protein subunit alpha i2 as a promising therapeutic target of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Death & Disease (2023).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.