AFP and Cirrhosis: To corroborate these findings, using the TMU-SHH HCC cohort (n = 72), we carried out a Cox proportional hazard analysis of COL1A1 expression and known risk factors for survival in patients with HCC, including age, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), cirrhosis, tumor size, TNM tumor stage, α-fetoprotein (AFP) and lymph node involvement.