Molecular Aspects of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Caused by Hepatitis C Virus

The hepatitis c virus (hcv) is a small, enveloped, single-stranded positive-sense rna virus with a diameter of about 50nm belonging to the hepacivirus genus of the family flaviviridae. the hcv genome is translated to produce a singleprotein of around 3011 amino acids. this polyprotein is then proteolytically processed by viral and cellular proteasesto produce structural (core protein, envelope glycoproteins el and e2, arfp/f protein, p7) and nonstructural (ns2-3autoprotease, ns3-4a, ns4b, ns5a, ns5b) proteins. hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc) is one of the most frequentmalignant tumors worldwide, with increasing incidence. it is estimated that approximately 300-400 thousands ofpeople in the iran and 4 million in the united states are persistently infected. it is important for tumor control toidentify the factors that predispose patients to death. a large number of molecular factors have been shown to associatewith the invasiveness of hcc, and have potential prognostic significance.