Molecular mechanisms of gender disparity in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma
Molecular mechanisms of gender disparity in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma
复制标题
乙型肝炎病毒相关性肝细胞癌性别差异的分子机制
DOI：
10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6252
复制
发表时间：
2014-05-28
影响因子：
4.3
通讯作者：
Liu, Quan-Yan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Liu, Wei-Cheng;Liu, Quan-Yan
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most common causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignant tumor with high mortality worldwide. One remarkable clinical feature of HBV-related HCC is that its incidence is higher in males and postmenopausal females compared to other females. Increasing evidence indicates that HBV-associated HCC may involve gender disparity and that it may be a type of hormone-responsive malignant tumor. Sex hormones, such as androgen and estrogen, have been shown to play very different roles in the progression of an HBV infection and in the development of HBV-related HCC. Through binding to their specific cellular receptors and affecting the corresponding signaling pathways, sex hormones can regulate the transactivation of HBx, cause the chronic release of inflammatory cytokines in the hepatocellular microenvironment, and participate in epigenetic and genetic alternations in hepatocytes. All of these functions may be related to the initiation and progression of HBV-associated HCC. A thorough investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the gender-related disparity in HBV-related HCC should provide a new perspective for better understanding its pathogenesis and exploring more effective methods for the prevention and treatment of this disease. (C) 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
