SPP1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Similarly, the serum OPN level has been found to be elevated and it can serve as a predictive marker for various liver diseases, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (Syn et al. 2012), alcoholic liver disease (Patouraux et al. 2012), chronic hepatitis B and C (Huang et al. 2010; Zhao et al. 2008), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Duarte-Salles et al. 2016; Gotoh et al. 2002; Shang et al. 2012).