EGFL7 and hepatocellular carcinoma: As a secreted protein, we subsequently explored the serum levels of Egfl7 in patients with a series of epithelial tumors including HCC as well as healthy individuals, the results documented a significantly higher level of serum Egfl7 in patients with HCC than those patients with other tumors and healthy individuals, shedding a light on the potential application of Egfl7 as a serum diagnostic marker for HCC [32].