Epigenetic regulation of insulin-like growth factor axis in hepatocellular carcinoma

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway is an important pathway in the process of hepatocarcinogenesis, and the IGF network is clearly dysregulated in many cancers and developmental abnormalities. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), only a minority of patients are eligible for curative treatments, such as tumor resection or liver transplant. Unfortunately, there is a high recurrence of HCC after surgical tumor removal. Recent research efforts have focused on targeting IGF axis members in an attempt to find therapeutic options for many health problems. In this review, we shed lights on the regulation of members of the IGF axis, mainly by microRNAs in HCC. MicroRNAs in HCC attempt to halt the aberrant expression of the IGF network, and a single microRNA can have multiple downstream targets in one or more signaling pathways. Targeting microRNAs is a relatively new approach for identifying an efficient radical cure for HCC.