In the past, MIF was commonly considered a crucial mediator of inflammation and auto-inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis and infection.59, 60 Over the years, MIF has been found to be highly expressed in many cancer cells and is correlated with tumor cell growth and even invasion and metastasis.61, 62 In the pathogenesis of the liver, MIF also contributes to HCC and liver cirrhosis.63, 64 Contrary to the pathogenic roles of MIF in previous studies, we found that MIF has beneficial and necessary roles in the ConA-induced autophagic cell death of hepatoma cells. This evidence concerns the gene MIF and cancer.