CALM1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: The sequencing results showed that all 6 genes, except CALM1 (P = 0.063), were significantly differentially expressed in PBMCs of patients with HCC when compared to controls, as shown in Fig. 8A. qRT-PCR results revealed similar changes, and significant differences were found between the HCC group and the normal control group in all 6 genes.