In a follow-up study, it was documented that hepatocyte-specific AEG-1 deficiency (AEG-1HEP) led to only an attenuation (and not complete abrogation), while myeloid-specific AEG-1 deficiency (AEG-1MAC) led to the complete abrogation of DEN-induced HCC, indicating that AEG-1 plays a key role in the initial macrophage activation that is crucial for hepatocyte transformation [120]. This evidence concerns the gene MTDH and hepatocellular carcinoma.