Globally, HCC is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death.127,128 Surgery remains the most effective treatment with curative potential, and novel treatments are urgently needed.66 MAT1A is a marker for normal liver differentiation, and the expression of MAT2A and MAT2B increases during rapid liver growth and dedifferentiation.129,130 During the general development of the fetal liver, the originally expressed MAT2A is gradually replaced by MAT1A.116,131 MAT2A and its gene product, MAT IIα (dimer formed from α2 subunits), are overexpressed in various human epithelial tumors. The gene discussed is MAT1A; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.