Abstract: The cross-talk between tumor cells and the surrounding peri-tumoral stroma has been extensively studied as a dynamic
system involving the processes of hepatocarcinogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis in recent few decades. Besides hepatocytes,
liver tumor microenvironments are generally classified into cellular and non-cellular components, including hepatic stellate cells,
fibroblasts, immune, endothelial, mesenchymal stem cells together with growth factors, cytokines, extracellular matrix (ECM),
Hormone as well as virus etc. The non-cellular components manipulate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invasion and metastasis by
facilitating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), increasing proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and
regulating antitumor immunity, etc. Since the main cause of death in HCC patients is tumor progression with metastasis, a better
understanding of the interplay between hepatocytes and their environment during tumor metastasis may be helpful for the discovery
of novel molecular targets.

Key words:  microenvironment, liver cancer, tumor invasion