CLOCK and hepatocellular carcinoma: Considering that perturbations in both the circadian rhythm and DNA repair are implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [23, 24], while POLB serves as a crucial mediator of DNA synthesis and cellular susceptibility to DNA-damaging agents [25], we aimed to examine the involvement of POLB and the biological clock in the coordinated regulation of HCC pathophysiology.