HGF and hepatocellular carcinoma: The serum concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 and of the growth factor HGF were increased in patients with NAFLD and HCC compared to controls, the increase being particularly evident in patients with cirrhosis (median values for IL-6: 6.1, 11.1, 13.1 pg/mL for control, NAFLD-Cirr, and HCC-Cirr samples, respectively; IL-8: 13.5, 25.9, and 27.7 pg/mL; HGF: 290, 576, and 647 pg/mL, Figure 1 and Table 2).