Among the three groups, total A-SAA concentration in the HCC patients (mean ± standard deviation: 223.8 ± 76.0 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in the hepatitis (176.3 ± 73.2 ng/mL, P = 0.0013) and LC (167.8 ± 40.6 ng/mL, P = 0.0006) patients (Fig. 1a). This evidence concerns the gene SAA2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.