The reactivity of alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) with Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA) was studied by crossed immuno-affinity electrophoresis of the sera of 246 subjects from 6 groups (acute virus hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), carcinoma metastatic to the liver and normal controls). This evidence concerns the gene SERPINA1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.