Molecular Signatures of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis

Metastasis is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality among cancer patients. Such patients are often considered incurable with treatments offering either supportive care or aggressive management without curative intent. Over the last several decades, research in the metastasis field has expanded our knowledge of cancer progression mechanisms; however, the translation of this knowledge into effective anti-metastasis therapies has not been swift. In fact, to add to the complexity of metastasis, recent findings have challenged the classic notion of clonal evolution whereby liver metastases develop during late stages of carcinogenesis. In this chapter, we evaluate several metastasis models and where applicable, describe how high-throughput molecular profiling technology has shed light on and provided prognostic value for this multifaceted process, with emphasis on the liver. The resolution of metastasis will have a large impact on clinical advances, specifically in targeted anti-metastasis therapies to benefit patients.