IL-2–inducible T cell kinase (ITK) protein, encoded by ITK, is a TEC (tyrosine kinase expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma) family tyrosine kinase expressed in T and NK lymphocytes and mast cells (Berg et al., 2005; Khurana et al., 2007; Iyer and August, 2008). This evidence concerns the gene ITK and hepatocellular carcinoma.