Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide.Risk factors,such as viral infection,aflatoxin intake,and alcohol abuse,induce frequent hepatic cell death and chronic liver pathologies.It has now been well accepted that dead hepatocytes trigger a local inflammatory response,including increased inflammatory cytokines secretion and immune cell infiltration.Repeated cell death and compensatory proliferation in a background of chronic inflammation is believed to lead to the transformation of surviving cells that may carry genetic mutations;therefore,ultimately enhancing tumor initiation and promotion [1].