Possible explanations were that although AFP has also been shown to be a risk factor which contribute to mortality and morbidity of HCC and AFP negative HCCs have been reported to have superior prognosis than AFP positive HCCs, the AFP consistent normal HCCs were a mixture of HCCs which did not secret AFP, and AFP secreting HCCs which AFP were secreted at a low level by the time of recurrence detection, and were also a mixture of HCCs of well and bad responses to TACE. The gene discussed is AFP; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.