It is particularly noteworthy that in our test cohort, the patients with early HCC (TNM stages I-II) display a significantly higher levels (5–10 folds increase) of MACC1 in the HCC lesions than that in the normal liver tissue, and as the disease progresses to later stages, the MACC1 level increases further. The gene discussed is MACC1; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.