AFP and hepatocellular carcinoma: As HCC typically expresses identifiable tumor-associated antigens, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), glypican-3 (GPC3), or cellular-mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (c-MET) (7), there is a strategic opportunity where treatments could potentially stimulate or augment an anti-tumor immune response through vaccination or targeted therapeutic interventions (8, 9).