Des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP), also known as Prothrombin Induced by Vitamin K Absence (PIVKA-II), which is significantly elevated in serum of HCC patients (Liebman et al. 1984), has been widely used in Japan and China for HCC diagnosis and surveillance (Kim et al. 2023). This evidence concerns the gene ACE and hepatocellular carcinoma.