AFP and hepatocellular carcinoma: Despite being widely used for HCC diagnosis, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been criticized due to its low sensitivity and specificity.7 It has been noted that more than 30% of early-stage HCC patients with small tumors showed the same AFP levels as those in healthy control;8 moreover, serum AFP levels can even be within normal ranges in 15%-30% of advanced HCC.9 The low sensitivity of AFP is the main drawback for HCC diagnosis.