Moreover, the patients with relatively lower NKD1 and higher Rac1 expression in tumor tissues compared with paired non-tumor (regarded as the high risk group) had a shorter overall survival time (Fig. 6D, P = 0.029), indicating that abnormal expression of NKD1 and Rac1 can predict a poor clinical outcome in HCC patients. This evidence concerns the gene RAC1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.