Searches made on the TCGA database indicated that Sort1 was upregulated in HCC tumor tissues compared with paracancerous ones (Figures 1(c) and 1(d)), with similar differences in mRNA levels found after 12 HCC research cohorts from the HCCDB database were analyzed (Figures 1(e) and 1(f)). Here, SORT1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.