We revealed a potential HCC-relevant oncogene, the α7-nAChR, and demonstrated that nicotine-induced upregulation of the α7-nAChR promotes metastasis and recurrence of human HCC by modulating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling axis, while independently prognosticating clinical outcomes of patients with HCC. The gene discussed is CHRNA7; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.