Primary Liver CancerEtiological and Progression Factors

Primary liver cancer is one of the most prevalent human tumors worldwide. It recognizes a number of etiological factors and is one of the few human tumors to show a highly significant association to chronic viral infections. Chronic infections by hepatitis B and C viruses are major risk factors for subsequent development of primary liver cancer. A number of studies, however, have indicated that several other factors are important in cooperation with or independent from hepatitis viruses for liver cancer development. Significant progress has been made toward understanding both the epidemiology and the molecular basis of liver carcinogenesis. This book presents a comprehensive report on this progress, covering both viral and nonviral factors. In addition, it provides an important update on the role of different growth factors, oncogenes, or anti-oncogenes in the progression of the tumors. New areas, such as the implication of cell cycle regulator elements in liver carcinogenesis, are explored as well. The concept of cell lineage is introduced, and new strategies for appraising cell lineage in liver carcinogenesis are examined.