Although CXCL3 mRNA expression was negatively correlated with HBV infection in the TCGA cohort, the serum CXCL3 analysis showed that patients with low serum CXCL3 levels were more likely to have a capsule around the tumor, and CXCL3 expression was positively correlated with the percentage of stromal cells at the top of the HCC tumor (TCGA cohort, Supplementary Fig. S2B), suggesting a relationship between CXCL3 and inflammation phenomenon in HCC tissue. This evidence concerns the gene CXCL3 and hepatocellular carcinoma.