Since the adoption of Milan criteria more than 20 years ago, selection criteria for liver transplantation (LT) in patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represented a debated issue. Halazun and colleagues presented at the American Surgical Association of 2018, and published on the issue of October of Annals of Surgery, their results from an analysis aimed at including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in a model developed to predict long-term results after LT for HCC (1). Of 1,450 patients included between 2001 and 2013, 16.2％ were outside Milan criteria, 61.1％ were hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive and more than 80％ of candidates received pre-LT locoregional therapies. Their study showed that incorporating AFP levels at diagnosis, maximum AFP (Max-AFP) at any time point, and the final immediate pre-transplant AFP (Final-AFP) to tumor number and diameter can well stratify different groups of patients at different risks of HCC recurrence after LT (NYCA model).