Several emerging themes were revealed by recent genomic studies [3–6], including recurrent mutations in TP53, Wnt-signaling components CTNNB1 and AXIN1, and chromatin regulators like ARID1A and ARID2, as well as HBV integration near TERT, CCNE1 and MLL4. The frequently altered genes discovered by these studies have differed, however, possibly due to small discovery panels (up to 25 patients) and the inherent heterogeneity of HCC due to several associated etiological factors. Here, ARID1A is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.