Published online Sep 16, 2015. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v3.i9.757
Peer-review started: May 4, 2015
First decision: June 3, 2015
Revised: June 20, 2015
Accepted: July 24, 2015
Article in press: July 27, 2015
Published online: September 16, 2015
Processing time: 143 Days and 8.6 Hours
Vitamin K (VK), which was originally identified as a cofactor involved in the production of functional coagulation factors in the liver, has been shown to be involved in various aspects of physiological and pathological events, including bone metabolism, cardiovascular diseases and tumor biology. The mechanisms and roles of VK are gradually becoming clear. Several novel enzymes involved in the VK cycle were identified and have been shown to be linked to tumorigenesis. The VKs have been shown to suppress liver cancer cell growth through multiple signaling pathways via the transcription factors and protein kinases. A VK2 analog was applied to the chemoprevention of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after curative therapy and was shown to have beneficial effects, both in the suppression of HCC recurrence and in patient survival. Although a large scale randomized control study failed to demonstrate the suppression of HCC recurrence, a meta-analysis suggested a beneficial effect on the long-term survival of HCC patients. However, the beneficial effects of VK administration alone were not sufficient to prevent or treat HCC in clinical settings. Thus its combination with other anti-cancer reagents and the development of more potent novel VK derivatives are the focus of ongoing research which seeks to achieve satisfactory therapeutic effects against HCC.
Core tip: Vitamin K (VK) is essential nutrient initially identified as a cofactor to produce functional coagulation factors. In addition to the roles in hemostasis, pleiotropic effects of VK in bone health, atherosclerotic diseases and cancer have been attracting. VK has been shown to play tumor-suppressive roles in several cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and reported to have beneficial effects in the treatment of HCC although its anti-tumor effects remain to be improved. Currently novel VK derivatives are under developing and will be applied to cancer treatment in the future.