Wan KR, Qian C, Liu LM. Mechanism of hepatitis C virus-mediated development and progression of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(7): 115234 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i7.115234]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Li-Mei Liu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, No. 131 Yubei Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400030, China. limeilliu@126.com
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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Letter to the Editor
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Feb 21, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 6, 2026
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World Journal of Gastroenterology
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1007-9327
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Wan KR, Qian C, Liu LM. Mechanism of hepatitis C virus-mediated development and progression of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(7): 115234 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i7.115234]
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2026; 32(7): 115234 Published online Feb 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i7.115234
Mechanism of hepatitis C virus-mediated development and progression of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
Kai-Rui Wan, Cheng Qian, Li-Mei Liu
Kai-Rui Wan, Cheng Qian, Li-Mei Liu, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
Kai-Rui Wan, Cheng Qian, Li-Mei Liu, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, China
Co-corresponding authors: Cheng Qian and Li-Mei Liu.
Author contributions: Wan KR conceived the study and drafted the manuscript; Liu LM and Qian C revised the manuscript and contributed equally as co-corresponding authors; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82273071.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Li-Mei Liu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, No. 131 Yubei Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400030, China. limeilliu@126.com
Received: October 14, 2025 Revised: November 10, 2025 Accepted: December 24, 2025 Published online: February 21, 2026 Processing time: 117 Days and 16.3 Hours
Abstract
Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) can trigger chronic inflammation in the liver, which gradually progresses to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and ultimately increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and sex-specific regulatory pathways involved remain not fully elucidated. This article focuses on the analysis of the study published by Groover et al. This study concentrates on the expression characteristics of estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes (ERα, ERβ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the liver, and explores the impact of sex-based relative expression differences of these molecules on the pathogenic mechanism of HCV. Based on this study, this article proposes future research directions to provide references for in-depth analysis of the mechanism underlying HCV-mediated development and progression of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as for promoting the development of sex-specific prevention and treatment strategies.
Core Tip: The study by Groover et al is the first to systematically analyze the expression differences and sex-specific correlations of estrogen receptor subtypes and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the livers of healthy individuals and patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver diseases. The study confirms that the expression changes of estrogen receptor β and tumor necrosis factor-alpha are important factors involved in HCV-mediated progression of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, and sex-specific molecular regulation may be a key mechanism underlying the prognostic differences of HCV-related diseases.
