Using the Kaplan–Meier test, type of treatment and other clinicopathologic parameters, such as age, sex, serum AFP level, serum AST level, serum ALT level, Child-Pugh classification, tumor number, tumor size, hepatitis history, tumor differentiation, organ invasion, vascular invasion, and pre-operation TACE were not identified as being associated with OS (Fig. 5a). Here, AFP is linked to hepatitis A virus infection.