In non-cirrhotic HCC, it is possible that one or some of the hepcidin-suppressing mechanisms discussed here (and more to be discovered in the future), including hypermethylation of BMP6 and RUNX3, downregulations of TfR2, HJV, ALK2 and circular RNA circ_0004913, and increment in matriptase-2 may be exclusive to the HCC stage. This evidence concerns the gene RUNX3 and hepatocellular carcinoma.