Role of the tissue microenvironment as a therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is difficult to treat, primarily because the underlying molecular mechanisms driving clinical outcome are still poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that the tissue microenvironment has a role in the biological behavior of the tumor. The main clinical issue is to identify the best target for therapeutic approaches. Here, we discuss the hypothesis that the entire tissue microenvironment might be considered as a biological target. However, the tissue microenvironment consists of several cellular and biochemical components, each of which displays a distinct biological activity. We discuss the major components of this environment and consider how they may interact to promote tumor/host crosstalk.