TERF2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Furthermore, in a cross-sectional study, it was observed that NAFLD–HCC patients showed an enrichment of rare genetic variants in Regulator of telomere elongation helicase 1 (RTEL1) and Telomeric repeat binding factor 2 (TERF2) genes, which are involved in telomere preservation, and in RB1, which mediates the oxidative stress response.