If cirrhosis might modulate the influence of EGF polymorphism on HCC risk, the difference in the underlying etiologies for HCC between Chinese population in China (e.g., hepatitis B and dietary aflatoxin exposure) and non-Asians in Los Angeles (e.g., hepatitis C and alcohol abuse) could explain partially the observed differences in the EGF-HCC risk association between the two study populations since some of HCC patients with hepatitis B as the underlying cause did not show cirrhosis in the liver. The gene discussed is EGF; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.