Extracellular matrix collagen I promotes the tumor progression of residual hepatocellular carcinoma after heat treatment

Accelerated malignant behaviors induced by insufficient thermal ablation have been increasingly reported, however, the exact mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we investigated the importance of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in modulating the progression of residual hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after heat treatment. Heat-exposed residual HCC cells were cultured in different ECM gels. We used basement membrane gel (Matrigel) to simulate the...