Terc−/− mice treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or diethylnitrosamine (DEN) display increased HCC “initiation foci”—microscopic lesions with atypical cytologic or architectural features that suggest malignancy but are not sufficiently well-developed to diagnose as HCC—although HCC number and size were decreased [22]. The gene discussed is TERC; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.