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Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common malignant gastrointestinal disease preceded by colorectal and stomach cancer and it represents the fifth most common type of cancer and the third most common cause of annual cancer-related deaths worldwide (Rossi et al., 2010). The burden of HCC has been increasing in Egypt with a doubling in the incidence rate in the past 10 years reaching nearly 6000 new cases yearly according to GOLOBOCAN 2008 estimates (GOLOBOCAN., 2008). Because of this increment of the incidence of HCC , there has been great interest in evaluating factors that influence prognosis in HCC. The most widely studied prognostic factors are related to pathological characteristics of the neoplasm, including tumor size, grade, stage, and vascular invasion (Lam et al., 2008). In recent years, knowledge regarding the biological processes of hepatic carcinogenesis has expanded significantly allowing the identification of the molecular processes involved in the onset of this neoplastic disorder (Farazi and DePinho, 2006). Among these molecules, growth factors and neoangiogenesis factors with their receptors, tyrosine kinase intracellular enzymatic pathways and intracellular signal transmission factors have been identified (Schoenleber et al., 2009). |