The progress of natural killer cells in the treatment of immune response to hepatocellular carcinoma

Natural killer (NK) cells are abundant in the liver, indicating that NK cells play an important role in liver disease research. As the global prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to increase, the existing conventional therapies are not satisfactory, and a new therapeutic method is urgently needed. To understand its therapeutic effect and current innovative therapies, this review screened and summarized research from 2010 to 2024 on NK cell-based immunotherapies, examining the dysfunctional status of NK cells in the liver and their role in HCC. Recent advances include cytokine therapy, cytomolecular therapy, gene modification, signaling pathway transduction, drug combinations, and viral transduction, alongside their applications in predicting HCC prognosis and clinical studies. These therapies, applied individually or in combination, demonstrate significant potential to restore NK cell immune function, paving the way for innovative HCC treatments.