Hepatocellular carcinoma

The immune cell constituents and localisation within human hepatocellular carcinoma is not fully understood. Here the authors use single cell RNA sequencing of HCC from four different tissue sites and show differences between primary and metastatic tumours, tumour associated macrophages and immune cell populations.

Here, the authors provide an overview of benign liver tumours (hepatic haemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatocellular adenoma), including pathogenesis, diagnosis and management. Insights into how molecular physiology could inform clinical practice are also highlighted.

Steatohepatitis is a chronic hepatic inflammation associated with increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Here the authors show that intestinal dysbiosis in mice lacking the inflammasome sensor molecule NLRP6 aggravates steatohepatitis and accelerates liver cancer progression, a process that can be delayed by antibiotic treatment.

Meier, Nuciforo, Coto-Llerena et al. report a rare case of a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. The authors establish organoids that recapitulate the genetic features of the patient’s tumor and are used for ex vivo drug testing to guide therapy selection in the patient.