Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and affects about 8% of cirrhotic patients, with a recurrence rate of over 50%. There are numerous therapies available for the treatment of HCC, depending on cancer staging and condition of the patient. The complexity of the treatment is also justified by the unique pathogenesis of HCC that involves intricate processes such as chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and multiple molecular carcinogenesis events. During the last three decades, multiple in vivo and in vitro experiments have used somatostatin and its analogs (SSAs) to reduce the proliferative and metastatic potential of hepatoma cells by inducing their apoptosis and reducing angiogenesis and the inflammatory component of HCC. Most experiments have proven successful, revealing several different pathways and mechanisms corresponding to the aforementioned functions. Moreover, a correlation between specific effects and expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) was observed in the studied cells. Clinical trials have tested either somatostatin or an analog, alone or in combination with other drugs, to explore the potential effects on HCC patients, in various stages of the disease. While the majority of these clinical trials exhibited minor to moderate success, some other studies were inconclusive or even reported negative outcomes. A complete evaluation of the efficacy of somatostatin and SSAs is still the matter of intense debate, and, if deemed useful, these substances may play a beneficial role in the management of HCC patients.
Highlights
Liver cancer is the fourth most frequent type of cancer and has been a rising cause of concern for the global medical community [1]
Recent studies show that the majority of patients are at risk of recurrence, and this is attributable to intrahepatic metastasis or multicentric hepatocarcinogenesis [5]
We summarize the published experimental and clinical results and present the current research on the correlation between the action of somatostatin and somatostatin and its analogs (SSAs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs)
Summary
Liver cancer is the fourth most frequent type of cancer and has been a rising cause of concern for the global medical community [1]. The risk of HCC is increased by metabolic conditions such as diabetes mellitus and obesity This etiological variety implies that patients with HCC will carry the burden of the underlying disease, and their management will require a more complex approach, often involving an interdisciplinary team to address cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic, or renal complications as well as any other associated pathologies [9,10,11]. The use of natural compounds is increasingly investigated and seems promising, especially when used in association with conventional treatment [24,25,26,27] Another important therapeutic solution for HCC may be the use of somatostatin and its analogs (SSAs), which have been employed mostly in patients towards the later stages of HCC. We summarize the published experimental and clinical results and present the current research on the correlation between the action of somatostatin and SSAs in HCC and the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs)
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