HOXD3 and neoplasm: Strikingly, high HOXD3 levels were significantly associated with poor tumor histology (well: 57.9% (11/19); moderate: 66.7% (6/9); poor: 90.0% (27/30) (P = 0.023), but not with age or gender, suggesting that upregulated HOXD3 protein expression might be involved in the progression of HCC.