In addition to the presence of occult HBVCI and absence of overt HBVCI, tumor size >3 cm, alpha-fetoprotein >8 ng/mL, albumin <4 g/dL, ALT >50 U/L, were also found to be independent predictors for the disease-free survival in the HCV-associated HCC patients. Here, ALB is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.