Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death globally. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents nearly 90％of primary liver cancers, and constitutes a major health problem worldwide (1). When diagnosed at an early stage of the disease, HCC may benefit from potentially curative treatments such as liver resection, liver transplantation or local ablation. Despite effectiveness of treatment in early and very early stages, most patients are diagnosed or progress to an intermediate or advanced stage, in which treatment options are limited and the prognosis is poor (2).