Liver Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Targeted Therapies

Dear Colleagues,

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a highly frequent and lethal tumor globally, with limited therapeutic options. Although surgical resection and liver transplantation represent effective and potentially curative treatments in the early stages of the disease, the therapeutic options for advanced PLC remain unsatisfactory to date. The only two drugs approved for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are the multikinase inhibitors Sorafenib and Regorafenib, yet being associated with limited benefits to the patients in terms of patients’ overall survival. Thus, the treatment of PLC represent a major health concern worldwide.

Despite a growing number of studies on the genetic and epigenetic events associated with PLC development and progression, the understanding of the same phenomena and their functional interplay remain poorly understood. Consequently, the molecular pathogenesis of this deadly disease remains poorly characterized. Therefore, a better understanding of the available data, as well as a further investigation of the molecular mechanisms responsible for human PLC, is imperative in order to significantly improve its prevention, detection, and therapy.

Given the importance of PLC in the field of medicine and research, the journal Medicina is launching this Special Issue.

We encourage you and your co-workers to submit your articles reporting on this topic. Reviews or original articles dealing with the biochemical and molecular aspects associated with PLC pathogenesis in experimental models and humans, as well as articles providing an up-to-date overview of the use of circulating/tissue biomarkers in early diagnosis and management, are particularly welcome. In addition, we warmly invite you to submit articles reporting on evidence and expectations from innovative molecular therapeutics, with special focus on individualized approaches.

Prof. Dr. Diego Francesco Calvisi
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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.