| One of the most common malignant tumors is hepatocellular carcinoma
(HCC). Progression of HCC mainly results from highly complex molecular and
pathological pathways. Midkine (MDK) is a growth factor that impacts viability, migration, and other cell activities. Since MDK has been involved in the
inflammatory responses, it has been claimed that MDK has a crucial role in
HCC. MDK acts as an anti-apoptotic factor, which mediates tumor cell viability. In addition, MDK blocks anoikis to promote metastasis. There is also evidence that MDK is involved in angiogenesis. It has been shown that the
application of anti-MDK approaches might be promising in the treatment of
HCC. Besides, due to the elevated expression in HCC, MDK has been proposed
as a biomarker in the prognosis and diagnosis of HCC. In this review, we will
discuss the role of MDK in HCC. It is hoped that the development of new strategies concerning MDK-based therapies will be promising in HCC
management. |