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Oncofetal Molecules as Biomarkers and Drug Targets for Hepatic Cancer

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New Advances on Disease Biomarkers and Molecular Targets in Biomedicine

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major type of liver cancer prevalent in Asia and Africa, with a global increase in numbers in western countries. Despite decades of efforts in improving management of this malignancy, prognosis of patients still remains suboptimal. Frontline surgical treatments and traditional diagnostic methods suffer from own limitations. To alleviate this clinical dismal, research for alternated and supplemental methods are imperative. Different studies have discovered a panel of molecules related to tumorigenesis. Among them, a class of oncofetal molecules, characterized by their abundance in fetal livers and HCC but not in adult healthy livers, seems to serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HCC. Tumorigenesis and embryogenesis share common characteristics and undergo similar processes in terms of proliferation, division, plasticity, motility, and convergence of mechanistic pathways. This chapter reviews several oncofetal molecules of livers including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), glypican-3 (GPC3), insulin-like growth factor II mRNA binding protein 3 (IMP3), survivin, Golgi protein 73 (GP73), cadherin-17 (CDH17), and granulin-epithelin precursor (GEP) for their diagnostic and prognostic values. In addition, how these molecules can be used for developing therapies for HCC is also discussed. Most of the mentioned oncofetal molecules are found associating with poor disease conditions, while some of them have been studied for their potential capability in treating tumors in preclinical animal models. In summary, oncofetal molecules belong to an emerging class of candidates with potential application in improving current methods of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of HCC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, L9-39, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China

    Felix H. Shek, Sarwat Fatima & Nikki P. Lee

  2. The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China

    Tracy C. W. Lai

  3. School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China

    Sarwat Fatima

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  1. Felix H. Shek
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  2. Tracy C. W. Lai
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  3. Sarwat Fatima
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  4. Nikki P. Lee
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Correspondence to Nikki P. Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine Building, Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong, Sassoon Road 21, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

    Nikki P. Lee

  2. Center for Biomedical Research, Population Council, York Ave. 1230, NEW YORK, 10021, New York, USA

    C.Y. Cheng

  3. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Departmen, National University of Singapore, Medical Drive 10, Singapore, 117597, Singapore

    John M. Luk

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Shek, F.H., Lai, T.C.W., Fatima, S., Lee, N.P. (2013). Oncofetal Molecules as Biomarkers and Drug Targets for Hepatic Cancer. In: Lee, N., Cheng, C., Luk, J. (eds) New Advances on Disease Biomarkers and Molecular Targets in Biomedicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-456-2_4

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