Tumor-initiating cells contribute to acquired chemoresistance during anti-angiogenic therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma

Inhibition of neo-angiogenesis is an effective treatment strategy for advanced HCC. However, development of chemoresistance is observed in the majority of patients. Compelling evidence suggest that stem-like tumor-initiating cells (TICs) may contribute to the acquisition of resistant properties in many solid tumors, but their exact role in this process for HCC remains to be defined. Here, we evaluate the importance of TICs in the development of resistance to different anti-angiogenic therapies in HCC and define concomitant adaptive molecular changes. Several HCC cell lines and primary HCC isolates were exposed t…