AFP and cirrhosis of liver: Although most studies clearly demonstrated a strong, indisputable correlation between MDK levels and HCC disease progression as well as certain benefits in terms of early detection, sensitivity, or specificity compared with AFP, there was one study by Vongsuvanh et al. [52] showing elevated MDK levels in HCC compared with other groups (86 HCC, 86 liver cirrhosis, 86 non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease, and 86 controls), but, when compared, AFP was proven to be superior to MDK in distinguishing HCC from non-HCC cases and HCV or HBV-associated HCC from liver cirrhosis.