Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Primary Liver Cancers and in Premalignant Liver Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Primary liver cancers (e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma), as well as premalignant chronic liver diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), represent major and growing burdens on our healthcare systems. Indeed, despite major advances in recent years, HCC still represents the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Furthermore, NAFLD prevalence, regarded as a risk factor for HCC, is steadily increasing due to the worldwide obesity epidemic. New therapeutic targets remain to be discovered, and novel therapeutic approaches to be tested. Recent findings have revealed a previously underestimated variety of liver macrophages in terms of ontogeny and functions, and even in terms of the spatial distribution of specific macrophage subsets. The range of functions of macrophages is directed by very diverse inflammation-, fibrogenesis-, and tumor-modulating mechanisms yet to be fully deciphered. Liver macrophages, mostly consisting of liver-resident Kupffer cells and infiltrated bone-marrow-derived macrophages, thus represent intriguing targets of interest that have the potential to influence the course of liver disease.

As a result, this Special Issue aims to assemble original research manuscripts and literature reviews deciphering the multifaceted, and somewhat contradictory, functions of liver macrophages in primary liver cancers and in premalignant conditions. We sincerely hope that this Special Issue may serve as a platform for exchanging new insights into liver macrophages and will contribute to the understanding and therapy of oncological diseases and premalignant conditions of the liver.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Adrien Guillot
Dr. Fouad Lafdil
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• liver macrophages
• circulating monocytes
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• cholangiocarcinoma
• non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• biomarkers
• liver regeneration
• immune microenvironment
• primary liver cancers
• liver fibrosis