High levels of plasma CCT3 protein were detected in HCC, and CCT3 had higher sensitivity (87.3 %) than AFP (69.8 %) in differentiating HCC from cirrhosis when the cut-off value was selected at 46.5 pg/mL and 20 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.05). Here, CCT3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.