The expression levels of HULC and MALAT1 were shown to be significantly higher in the normal background tissue of HCC than those in the normal liver tissue of metastatic liver tumor without hepatitis (HULC: fold change 14.9, P = 1.7e-06; MALAT1: fold change 17.5, P = 1.2e-06. This evidence concerns the gene MALAT1 and hepatitis A virus infection.