The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and its role in the occurrence and development of HCC

作者：Lei Li, Guodong Zhao, Zhe Shi, Lili Qi, Liyuan Zhou, Zexian Fu · 发表于：Oncology Letters · 年份：2016 · DOI：10.3892/ol.2016.5110 · 被引用次数：322 · 研究领域：Melanoma and MAPK Pathways、Cytokine Signaling Pathways and Interactions、Protein Kinase Regulation and GTPase Signaling

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common tumor worldwide and has a very poor prognosis. Its occurrence has been on the increase in recent years. Surgical resection and liver transplantation are the primary methods of treatment for HCC patients, but can only be applied to 15% of patients. The median survival time of unresectable or metastasizing HCC patients is only a few months. Existing systemic treatment methods are not effective for advanced HCC patients and a new method of treatment is needed for these patients. It has been established that the HCC occurs in multiple stages, however, the pathogenesis at a molecular level is not clear and many key factors are yet to be determined. In the past 30 years, it has become evident that the Ras/Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of HCC. This review focused on the association between the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and HCC.