EPAS1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: A study found that HIF-2α is overexpressed in HCC compared with noncancerous lesions, and its levels were significantly correlated with tumor grade, venous invasion, intrahepatic metastasis, necrosis and capsule infiltration.15 Two HREs at −3.6 kb of the 5'-flanking promoter region of the PAI-1 gene can function as cis-acting elements to regulate PAI-1 gene induction by hypoxia in mouse hepatoma cells.