Research progress in targeting liver cancer stem cells for the treatment of liver cancer

Abstract

CSCs (tumour stem cells) have been shown to be resistant to conventional chemotherapy or irradiation, and surviving CSCs can re-proliferate and lead to tumour recurrenc and Metastasis under suitable conditions due to their strong self-renewal and multiple differentiation functions. The development of metastasis, recurrence and drug resistance caused by CSCs is now considered to be a major cause of treatment failure and patient death inmalignancies[1] .Therefore,direct targeting of LCSCs (hepatocellular carcinoma stem cells) is a new strategy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Over the years, as research on LCSCs continues, therapies targeting LCSCs have been found to have great potential in the clinical management and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. This article reviews the specific application of liver cancer stem cell markers interacting with relevant signalling pathways in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.