Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common human malignancies in the world and it is especially prevalent in Asia and Africa (1 ). Some tumors are suitable for resection, however, there is a very high rate of recurrence (2 ). Infection with hepatitis B or C virus, alcoholic cirrhosis, and ingestion of aflatoxin B1-contaminated food are important risk factors for HCC (3 ,4 ), but the exact molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis is still unclear.
