Aberrant expression of the esophageal carcinoma related gene 4 as a prognostic signature for hepatocellular carcinoma

•Esophageal cancer-related gene (ECRG) family has recently been characterized as an integrator and indispensable node in carcinogenesis.•Identification of this issue may be important to guide clinical management of liver cancer in the future.•Consequently, our present data using in silico data-mining analyses as well as immunohistochemistry provide an in-depth insight into the prognostic significance of ECRG family members in liver cancer.•We conclude that ECRG factors may act as an essential role in the progression of liver cancer.