Over half of the patients (55.0%) in our study cohort exhibited AFP levels < 25 ng/ml; however, those patients with low stage HCC (TNM stage I) who also had high levels of WWP1 expression were found to have shorter survival times (OS, P < 0.001; DFS, P < 0.001) and an increased risk of recurrence. This evidence concerns the gene WWP1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.