“…In 2018, there were approximately 841,000 new cases and 782,000 deaths of liver cancer globally, and China is the high-incidence area for it (3,4). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) covers most liver cancer cases (80-90%) (4,5). Although huge progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC, its prognosis is unsatisfactory due to its highly metastatic and aggressive characteristics (5)(6)(7).…”