ABSTRACT
Interactions between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and the tumor stromal microenvironment have profound effects on tumor growth,epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT),invasion and metastasis.Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major subtype of stromal cells in the liver tumor microenvironment.HCC cells can induce the activation of HSCs during carcinogenesis,while activated HSCs promote HCC cells growth and migration through secreting growth factors,inducing angiogenesis and immune suppression.Bidirectional interactions between HCC cells and HSCs may function as an ＂amplification loop＂ to further enhance metastatic growth in the liver.In this review,we summarized the most recent data from the research on HSCs and its relationship with HCC.