Hepatitis Viruses in Pathogenesis: Chronic Infection to Hepatocellular Carcinoma
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 22
Special Issue Editor
Interests: HBV; chronic liver disease; RNA maturation; transcription
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the fifth most frequent cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite the recent improvement of therapies with the inclusion of immunotherapies, its prognosis remains very poor. This is mainly linked to our incapacity to detect the tumour early because of the lack of clear biomarkers. Understanding the molecular mechanisms beyond the onset of the disease is thus key in the aim of preventing this pathology. Chronic infection with hepatitis viruses remains the main etiology of HCC. These viruses developed several mechanisms to counteract the immune system and to establish a chronic infection that eventually leads to the development of HCC. Although most of these viruses infect hepatocytes, stromal and immune cells are also impacted during chronic infection and will be at the basis of fibrosis and cirrhosis. Their dysfunction will contribute to the establishment of a microenvironment prone to cancer. This complex interaction between hepatocytes and surrounding cells is also observed in other HCC aetiologies such as metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD/NAFLD), alcohol-related liver disease, and environmental factors. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the different steps of chronic liver disease is essential not only to identify novel therapeutic targets but also to identify novel HCC biomarkers that could help in the proper management of patients. This issue, thus, welcomes literature review or original articles related to the following topics:
- Virus–host interactions leading to liver pathogenesis;
- Modification of the liver microenvironment in chronic liver disease (including non-viral hepatitis);
- Identification of novel markers helping in the early detection of HCC and in monitoring the progression of the disease.
Dr. Giraud Guillaume
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- hepatocellular carcinoma
- chronic infection
- viral hepatitis
- liver pathogenesis
- biomarkers
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