AFP and hepatocellular carcinoma: Both the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) suggested a combination of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level and ultrasound as monitoring tools for HCC, and a surveillance interval of 6 months was recommended for patients with chronic hepatitis and HBV carriers [9, 10].