ACE and hepatocellular carcinoma: Three main categories of measurable biological markers are currently available: (a) serum markers related to the biological characteristics of HCC, such as AFP and des-gamma-carboxyprothrombin (DCP); (b) markers reflecting systemic host inflammation (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio); and (c) molecular biomarkers that may be measured both in liver tissue and in serum (genetic mutations, enzymes, and microRNAs).