AFP and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: This metabolite also activates the FAK/Src axis to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC [55], and demonstrates superior specificity (92% vs. 68%) compared to traditional markers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in distinguishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related HCC from cirrhosis [56].