CD40LG and hepatocellular carcinoma: As previous studies have shown that nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) occurs frequently in HCV infection and is recognized as an increasing risk factor for liver disease and HCC development, SCCA–IgM may be useful for the identification of HCV-infected patients with a high risk of disease progression and HCC development [61,62]; SCCA–IgM and HCV genotype 3 have a significant association with the presence of NASH.