Therefore, although the BCLC model has been reported to be superior to alternate models for the prediction of survival in HCC, including the Okuda, CLIP, tumour node metastasis, Japanese Integrated System, Groupe d'Etude de Traitement du Carcinoma Hepatocellulaire and Chinese University Prognostic Index models (61, 67), three of which include the AFP, it would be interesting to see whether the AFP (as a continuous variable) adds to the prognostic value of the BCLC. Here, AFP is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.