Notably, the current study demonstrated no progressive relationship between CK-19+ expression and postoperative recurrence or prognosis in patients with an AFP concentration of ≥400 μg/L that would indicate a relationship with tumor development or stage, suggesting that CK-19+ may indeed be an important predictor of early recurrence and prognosis for patients with an AFP concentration of <400 μg/L that is specific to certain HCC cell lines. This evidence concerns the gene AFP and hepatocellular carcinoma.