TIMP3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: For discriminating between HCC and CHB, the sensitivity of RASSF1A methylation in serum was greater than the sensitivities of the other diagnostic indicators, whereas the sensitivities of BVES, APC, TIMP3, GSTP1, and HOXA9 methylation in serum were all lower than the sensitivity of AFP (≥20 ng/l) (Table 3).