Seven significant plasma proteins were identified as causal proteins of HCC (Fig.2A), including ASS1 [Odds ratio (OR) = 3.40; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.94–5.96; FDR = 5.10e−02], B2M (OR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.46–0.74; FDR = 3.74e−02), FUOM (OR = 3.49; 95% CI, 2.03–5.98; FDR = 1.58e−02), GABARAPL1 (OR = 10.73; 95% CI, 3.66–31.43; FDR = 4.03e−02), ST8SIA1 (OR = 5.48; 95% CI, 2.62–11.46; FDR = 1.58e−02), STOML2 (OR = 23.73; 95% CI, 6.50–86.66; FDR = 4.36e−03), and KRT8 (OR = 43.22; 95% CI, 16.22–115.15; FDR = 1.32e−10). Here, KRT8 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.