Our previous study has found that intratumoral connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression, interleukin-11 (IL-11) expression and the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) chemokine receptor may serve as useful predictive biomarkers for bone metastasis in HCC patients [23, 28]. The gene discussed is CXCR4; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.