AKT1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In addition, genes with varying degrees of methylation include those associated with apoptosis, invasion, and angiogenesis, as well as genes related to pathways known to be downregulated in HCC, including RAF/MEK/ERK, Janus kinase-STAT, PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB).