Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that the high expression of GDF1 was significantly correlated with poor overall survival (log-rank test, P < 0.0001, median overall survival, GDF1 high: 37 months; GDF1 low: undefined, Fig. 1h) and disease-free survival of HCC patients (log-rank test, P = 0.0018, median disease-free survival, GDF1 high: 12 months; GDF1 low: 127 months, Fig. 1i). Here, GDF1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.