The Tumor Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Mechanistic Insights and Future Therapeutic Approaches
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: pharnacoeconomic research; epidemiological research; oncology clinical research
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor originating from hepatocytes, often developing against a backdrop of chronic inflammation and liver fibrosis. Despite advances in treatment, the prognosis remains poor, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 15%-38%. Increasing evidence has highlighted the critical role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in regulating tumor initiation, growth, progression, and in some cases, suppression.
This Special Issue will gather reviews and original research articles covering molecular aspects of the biology and pathology of HCC and treatment clinical studies.
Topics gathered will emphasize ways to achieve the genesis and progression of novel therapeutic approaches to liver cancer, especially for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumors larger than 5 cm, which is challenging but not impossible, though it often involves locoregional therapies like transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) alone or combined with immunotherapeutoic agents or liver transplantation.
We invite contributions of original research papers and up-to-date review articles about liver cancer at basic, translational, molecular levels and clinical studies for a Special Issue with expert insights and perspectives on molecular advances or the tumor microenvironment in the field of liver cancer.
Dr. Agnes Chan
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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.
Keywords
- advance or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma
- liver disease
- radiotherapy
- transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or SBRT
- immune checkpoint inhibitors
- tumor microenvironment
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
