**5. Summary and further direction**

Abnormal angiogenesis and DNA damages/DRRs are two important pathophysiological events in the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. Recently, it has become a growing evidence of DNA damage and repair and angiogenesis in hepatocarcinogenesis. Low DRR capacity resulting genetic or obtained alterations may lead to the accumulation of DNA damages and induce angiogenesis and ultimately promote hepatocarcinoma development. The main challenge for this field is the explanations of molecular basis and regulative signal pathways of DNA damages/DRRs interacting with angiogenesis during hepatocarcinogenesis. A better understanding of hypervascular feature and corresponding mechanisms of hepatocarcinoma on the basis of DNA damage/DRR pathway may be helpful for the medical researchers and clinic doctors exploring and validating hepatocarcinogenesis but also for them designing safe and efficient antiangiogenic drugs.

#### **Acknowledgements**

We thank Dr. Yuan-Feng Zhou for literature collection.

### **Conflicts of interest and source of funding**

The authors declare no competing financial interests. This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81860489, 81760502, 81572353, 81372639, 81472243, 81660495, and 81460423), the Innovation Program of Guangxi Municipal Education Department (Nos. 201204LX674 and 201204LX324), Innovation Program of Guangxi Health Department (No. Z2013781), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi (Nos. 2017GXNSFAA198002, 2017GXNSFGA198002, 2016GXNSFDA380003, 2015GXNSFAA139223, 2013GXNSFAA019251, 2014GXNSFDA118021, and 2014GXNSFAA118144), Research Program of Guangxi "Zhouyue Scholar" (No. 2017-38), Research Program of Guangxi Specially-invited Expert (No. 2017-6th), the "12th Five" Planning Program of Guangxi Education Science (No. 2015C397), the Innovative Program of Guangxi Graduate Education (No. JGY2015139), Research Program of Guangxi Clinic Research Center of Hepatobiliary Diseases (No.AD17129025), and Open Research Program from Molecular Immunity Study Room Involving in Acute & Severe Diseases in Guangxi Colleges and Universities (Nos. kfkt20160062 and kfkt20160063).
