Novel insights into the role of bacterial gut microbiota in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) mostly develops in patients with chronic liver disease, driven by a vicious cycle of liver injury, inflammation, and regeneration. Increasing evidence points to the influence of bacterial gut microbiota influence on chronic liver disease and the development of HCC. We will review how bacterial gut microbiota contributes to HCC and relevant therapeutic strategies, focusing on alterations of the bacterial gut microbiota at different disease stages and mechanisms by which it contributes to disease progression and HCC development in different types of liver diseases.