Here, we show that conditional (TTR-Cre) hepatocyte-specific SMAD7 knockout (KO) mice develop more tumors than wild-type and corresponding SMAD7 transgenic mice 9 months after diethylnitrosamine (DEN) challenge, verifying SMAD7 as a tumor suppressor in HCC. The gene discussed is SMAD7; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.