Under normal conditions vascular inactivity and stabilization are mediated by Ang-1, Ang-2, and Tie-2; in pathological angiogenesis an abnormal Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio, in the presence of VEGF, plays a critical role in the transformation of noncancerous liver tissue to HCC by initiating early neovascularization. This evidence concerns the gene ANGPT2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.