Mechanical microenvironment and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma oncogenesis and progression

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks among the most prevalent types of tumors globally. There is no effective cure for HCC in clinical practice, which emphasizes the need to conduct in-depth research into mechanisms that can facilitate the development of effective treatments for HCC. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the mechanical factors within an HCC microenvironment, such as matrix stiffness and fluid shear stress, have significant effects on the different stages of development. And these mechanical factors are also involved in the immune-evasion process of HCC, which affects the progression of HCC. However, current reviews related to HCC mainly focus on discussing the influence of mechanical factors on various cells in the tumor microenvironment, with less consideration of the impact of mechanical factors on each stage of tumor development. Therefore, this review discussed the influence of these different mechanical factors on the various stages of HCC development, including the initiation, proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, invasion, metastasis, drug resistance and immune escape. This review provides a theoretical basis for future in-depth investigations into the relationship between mechanical factors and HCC.