Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common
cancer worldwide, and its mortality rate is the third-highest, after
lung cancer and
colorectal cancer. Currently, systematic targeted
therapies for HCC mainly include multiple
kinase inhibitors and
immunotherapy. However, these drugs carry a black-box warning about the potential for inducing severe toxicity, and they do not significantly prolong the survival period of patients due to the highly heterogeneous characteristics of HCC etiology. In order to improve the prediction, effective treatment and prognosis of HCC, the tools and different
biomarkers in clinical practices are recommended.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the earliest and the most widely used
serum marker in the detection of HCC. Interestingly, serum AFP and cytoplasmic AFP show different, even opposite, roles in the
cancer progression of HCC. This review focuses on
biological characteristics, regulatory mechanisms for gene expression, emerging influences of AFP in HCC and its possible implications in HCC-targeted
therapy.