They found that the expression of exo-miR-122, exo-miR-148a and exo-miR-1246 in serum of HCC was significantly higher than that of liver cirrhosis and normal control group, and the combination of exosomal microRNA and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) produces better diagnostic performance than AFP in distinguishing the receiver operating curve of HCC and liver cirrhosis. Here, AFP is linked to cirrhosis of liver.