TWIST1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: On the other hand, the co-expression of both markers was present in 69.6% of CTC-positive patients and was significantly associated with portal vein thrombus, TNM staging and tumor size, suggesting that identification of Vimentin/Twist+ CTCs in addition to EpCAM+ CTCs could provide a better tool in the valuation of HCC mestastasis and prognosis.