Further the TCGA database analysis showed that TCF12 expression was upregulated in HCC tissues; and there was no statistical significance between the mRNA expression levels of CXCR4 in the HCC tissues and those in the paired adjacent liver tissues, and the expression levels of CXCL12 in the cancer tissues were significantly lower than those in the paired adjacent liver tissues (Figure S8A). Here, CXCL12 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.