Precision diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer in China

Abstract

Liver cancer ranks the sixth in cancer incidence and the second in tumor related mortality worldwide, with over half of the new cases and deaths occur in China. Because of difficulties in early diagnosis, rapid progression and lack of targeted drugs, the survival rate of liver cancer is extremely low. The existence of extraordinary heterogeneity has greatly limited the progress in early detection, molecular classification and targeted therapy of live cancer, owing to its varied risk factors, genetic susceptibilities, morphological diversity and microenvironmental discrepancies. Based on the heterogeneity of individual patients, precision medicine brings a new dimension to cancer personalized diagnosis and more-targeted treatment, and even give us access to pre-clinical screening of tumors in high risk populations. The present review article will provide progresses in precision diagnosis, molecular classification, signaling disregulation, preclinical models and personalized treatment of liver cancer in China.

Keywords: Early diagnosis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver cancer; Personalized therapy.