Pathway analysis of these altered genes using the KOBAS 2.0 function annotation tool showed 10 HCC related KEGG pathways significantly enriched by the gained genes or the deleted genes (Supplementary Tables 13, 14) (P value < 0.05) including the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, whose aberrant activation was reported to contribute to liver cancer [31, 32]. Here, SOAT1 is linked to liver cancer.