In the validation cohort, the combination of ASAP/GAAD and FOXD3 (62.2% sensitivity at 85.7% specificity) demonstrated better performance than ASAP/GAAD score alone (56.8% sensitivity at 85.7% specificity) in early HCC detection; however, no statistical significance was observed. The gene discussed is NME1; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.