Since first proposed by Virchow in 1863, the connection between inflammation and malignancies has been well established.[32] CRP seems to play an important role in the development and/or prognosis of various types of cancer, such as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, cervical cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.[12–14] Yet, the mechanistic role of CRP in HCC and in other types of cancer remains largely unclear. The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.