Golgi protein-73 (GP73) is a type II Golgi-localized integral membrane protein that is normally expressed in epithelial cells of many human tissues. It is essential for human survival, and might have multiple roles for GP73 in epithelial cell function such as in the kidney and liver. GP73 has been suggested as a potential serum marker for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)，Several reports have stated that GP73 is a better marker than AFP for diagnos ing HCC. Many studies have demonstrated that significant increases of  non-viral causes (alcohol-induced liver dis ease, autoimmune hepatitis). Therefore, some researchers consider that an increase in GP73 expression is a common feature of hepatocyte response to a variety of disease etiologies.