Further, by co-culturing HuH7 with human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC), it was found that FGF18 promoted HCC angiogenesis by enhancing the FGFR3 pathway as well as the phosphorylation level of AKT/ERK proteins, and was regulated upstream by Wnt/β-catenin signaling (69, 70, 79). This evidence concerns the gene FGFR3 and hepatocellular carcinoma.