To clarify the underlying signaling pathway by which CAFs inhibit HCC apoptosis, we examined the expression level of SDF-1 protein, which has been found to be excreted by CAFs and is closely involved in cancer progression [16–18] in LFs with different conditioned medium by qRT-PCR and immunoblotting. The gene discussed is CXCL12; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.