Finally, by Cox proportional hazards model analysis, it was found that the serum iron levels <15.1 μmol/l was a significant risk factor for the survival of HBV- related HCC (HR = 2.28, 95%CI, 1.82–2.87; P < 0.001) together with higher AFP levels, larger tumor size and worse BCLC stages. Here, AFP is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.