Future prospective studies with harmonized assessment of biomarkers, including but not limited to AFP and PIVKA-II are warranted to determine whether GPC-3 may contribute to the development of new composite models for HCC detection and prognostication, and to explore its potential value in risk stratification when assessed in longitudinal or alternative clinical settings, acknowledging that such association was not observed in our cohort. Here, AFP is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.