The 10 hub genes were identified in the PPI network, including CDK1, CCNB1, AURKA, CCNA2, KIF11, BUB1B, TOP2A, TPX2, HMMR and CDC45. Although the critical genes screened are not the same in many earlier reports, these studies with similar results show that cell cycle and metabolic pathways play an essential role in the occurrence and development of liver cancer [22–24]. Here, KIF11 is linked to liver cancer.