In the present study, we found that positive rates of PIVKA‐II were significantly higher than those of AFP in patients with obstructive jaundice, sepsis and hepatocellular carcinoma in China, among which patients with obstructive jaundice had the highest positive rate of PIVKA‐II, and there was no difference in PIVKA‐II levels between obstructive jaundice cases and patients with HCC. This evidence concerns the gene AFP and hepatocellular carcinoma.