The 28 evaluated characteristics were gender; age; hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus infections; HBV DNA; antiviral treatment; syphilis infection; liver cirrhosis and fluke; fatty liver; smoking and alcohol abuse; diabetes mellitus; hypertension; tumor location and differentiation; AFP, CA 19-9, 125, and 242; CEA; albumin; platelet count; vascular invasion; lymph node metastasis; tumor size and number; and surgical extent. Here, ALB is linked to metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.