The western blotting analysis revealed that FOXM1 and KIF4A protein expression was higher in HCC as compared to normal liver tissues (Fig. 1d), which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry (Fig. 1e, f), and corresponded to poor histological grade in HCC (Additional file 2: Figure S1f, g). This evidence concerns the gene FOXM1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.