肝细胞癌 (HCC) 是肝癌的主要形式，被认为是全世界癌症相关死亡的主要原因。癌症干细胞（CSC）是一小群癌细胞，具有很强的自我再生、形成肿瘤和分化的能力。 CSCs 在癌症的发生、扩散、复发和耐药性中发挥着关键作用。因此，他们很容易成为治疗干预的目标。通过有效靶向根除癌症干细胞的药物，可以实现治愈 HCC 的潜力。线粒体通过线粒体代谢、生物发生和动力学在赋予癌症干细胞耐药性方面发挥着至关重要的作用。线粒体代谢过程的功能障碍，例如线粒体氧化磷酸化 (OXPHOS)、钙信号传导和活性氧 (ROS) 生成，会导致包括 HCC 在内的人类恶性肿瘤的发生和进展。 ROS 具有有益和有害的作用，具体取决于其浓度。因此，ROS已成为HCC基本机制研究的重要课题。此外，创建新线粒体过程中的不平衡是 CSC 的一个特征，线粒体生物合成的增加与 CSC 中观察到的抵抗力增强有关。本文详细研究了线粒体在 CSC 保存以及 HCC 传播中的作用。更深入地了解线粒体如何参与肿瘤发生和耐药性可能会导致新型癌症治疗方法的发现。© 2024。作者获得 Springer Science Business Media, LLC（Springer Nature 旗下公司）的独家许可。

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the predominant form of liver cancer and is recognized as a major contributor to cancer-related mortality worldwide. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a tiny group of cancer cells that possess a significant ability to regenerate themselves, form tumors, and undergo differentiation. CSCs have a pivotal role in the initiation, spread, recurrence, and resistance to treatment of cancer. As a result, they are very susceptible to being targeted for therapeutic intervention. The potential to cure HCC may be achieved by efficiently targeting drugs that eradicate cancer stem cells. Mitochondria have a crucial function in granting drug resistance to cancer stem cells by means of mitochondrial metabolism, biogenesis, and dynamics. Dysfunction in mitochondrial metabolic processes, such as mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), calcium signaling, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, contributes to the initiation and progression of human malignancies, including HCC. ROS have both beneficial and detrimental effects depending on their concentration. Consequently, ROS have become a prominent subject in the study of the fundamental mechanisms of HCC. Furthermore, an imbalance in the process of creating new mitochondria is a characteristic feature of CSCs, and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis is associated with the heightened resistance observed in CSCs. This article provides a detailed examination of the involvement of mitochondria in the preservation of CSCs, as well as the spread of HCC. A deeper understanding of how mitochondria participate in tumorigenesis and drug resistance could result in the discovery of novel cancer treatments.© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.