In a phase II trial studying galunisertib as a second-line treatment, 149 patients with advanced HCC and Child–Pugh class A or B7 were enrolled, of whom 109 had AFP ≥ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) (Part A) and 40 had AFP < 1.5 × ULN (Part B); 37 patients of group A received 80 mg galunisertib twice daily on 14 consecutive days followed by 14 days rest in a 28-day cycle, while the rest of the patients in both groups received 150 mg, and 123 out of 149 had previously received sorafenib. The gene discussed is AFP; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.