Published online May 14, 2020. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i18.2126
Peer-review started: December 31, 2019
First decision: March 18, 2020
Revised: April 8, 2020
Accepted: April 21, 2020
Article in press: April 21, 2020
Published online: May 14, 2020
Processing time: 134 Days and 12.2 Hours
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer with a dismal prognosis, especially when diagnosed at advanced stages. Annexin A2 (ANXA2), is found to promote cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. However, the underlining mechanisms of ANXA2 in immune escape of HCC remain poorly understood up to now. Herein, we summarized the molecular function of ANXA2 in HCC and its relationship with prognosis. Furthermore, we tentatively elucidated the underlying mechanism of ANXA2 immune escape of HCC by upregulating the proportion of regulatory T cells and the expression of several inhibitory molecules, and by downregulating the proportion of natural killer cells and dendritic cells and the expression of several inhibitory molecules or effector molecules. We expect a lot of in-depth studies to further reveal the underlying mechanism of ANXA2 in immune escape of HCC in the future.
Core tip: Annexin A2 (ANXA2) has been found to promote cancer progression and therapeutic resistance in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the mechanism by which annexin A2 facilitates the immune escape of hepatocellular carcinoma remains poorly understood. In this opinion review, we discuss in detail the latest findings on the role of annexin A2 in hepatocellular carcinoma immune escape.