PTEN and hepatocellular carcinoma: In fact, in 40–50% of HCC patients, mutation or downregulation of the PTEN protein can be observed, resulting in intracellular PIP3 accumulation and continuous activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, which promotes the expression of antiapoptotic genes and inhibits apoptosis, resulting in an imbalance between the rates of cell proliferation and apoptosis [29].