Moreover, it was found that CXCL5 was significantly elevated in cirrhotic patients without hepatocellular carcinoma compared with patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma combined with cirrhosis in a clinical study, implying that CXCL5 has the potential to be a test for the development of early hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients [48]. Here, CXCL5 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.