Primary liver cancer is a major global public health issue and currently the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The continuous changes in early cancer detection and treatment strategies have improved the overall survival rate of patients. Emerging organoid technologies have had a dramatic impact on cancer research in recent years, and tumor organoids are widely used in basic and translational cancer research. Tumor organoid culture technology will bridge the gap among molecular genetics, biology and clinical treatment. In this review, we discussed the recent different applications of liver organoids in liver cancer biology and clinical translation, involving liver cancer molecular studies, microenvironment and metastasis studies and drug screening trials, in order to provide a reference for clinical practice.

Mitophagy, as an important link in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and environmental homeostasis in the liver, can remove damaged mitochondria and provide energy through autophagy and other processes. Additionally, it plays a dual role in the occurrence and development of liver cancer and can affect the therapeutic effect of liver cancer through a variety of signaling pathways. This article reviews the relationship between mitophagy and hepatitis B virus infection, liver cancer occurrence and development, liver cancer stem cells, mitochondrial division and fusion, therapeutic resistance and invasiveness of liver cancer, and other aspects.

Natural killer (NK) cells are important immune cells in the human body and are also the main lymphocytes in the liver. They are considered the first defense mechanism against tumor and have a significant impact on the development and progression of liver cancer. The characteristics of NK cells help them become a new choice for immunotherapy, and NK cell-based immunotherapy may succeed in the treatment of liver cancer. This article reviews the biological characteristics of NK cells, their role in the development and progression of liver cancer, and the research advances in related treatment.