Of note, circ-MAT2B was recently proposed to sponge miR-338-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma [15], however, our preliminary data showed that circ-MAT2B could not absorb miR-338-3p (data not shown), but miR-515-5p in GC, indicating the cell-, tissue- or developmental-stage specific pattern of circRNA function [26]. This evidence concerns the gene MAT2B and hepatocellular carcinoma.