Interestingly, when NASH-related HCC was compared to NASH cirrhosis, MDK had a greater AUROC (0.86; 95% CI 0.72–1.0) compared to AFP (0.76; 95% CI 0.58–0.95) and OPN (0.66; 95% CI 0.44–0.88), suggesting that MDK may have a role in the diagnosis of NASH-related HCC (Fig 2E). Here, MDK is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.