Advances in the study of biomarkers and signaling pathways of liver cancer stem cells

Liver cancer is a deadly malignancy with high recurrence rate and drug resistance. The main manifestations of malignant tumors, such as relapse, metastasis and chemotherapeutic resistance, are all related to the presence of cancer stem cells. In the past few decades, cancer stem cells have been found and identified in many tumors, including liver cancer. A large number of studies have revealed the biological behavior and regulatory mechanism of liver cancer stem cells. Based on these evidence, there have been a lot of in-depth studies on the treatment of liver cancer stem cells. We reviewed the recent advances in the biological understanding and treatment strategies of liver cancer stem cells. Key words: Liver cancer stem cells; Biomarker; Signaling pathway; Cancer therapy