Moreover, since IFN-α is a lymphokine with a wide range of biological effects and found up-expressed in pre-operative samples of HCC patients [25] while Prolactin is commonly attributed to an impaired hepatic metabolism of estrogens and associated to liver cirrhosis [8], the fact that we have found both up-expressed only in patients with HCC and that Prolactin results to correlate with the transaminase levels, leads us to think that Prolactin might be used as a severity index of liver disease. The gene discussed is PRL; the disease is cirrhosis of liver.