Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer deaths and the fourth most common cancer worldwide 1. Chronic liver damage, such as that caused by chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and fatty liver disease, is closely associated with the occurrence of HCC 2. Recent advances in sequencing technologies have enabled the identification of multiple driver genetic alterations and pathways implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis and tumor progression 3. This may help us to develop new targets and biomarkers that ultimately improve clinical decision‐making and patient outcomes. Of note, among the recurrent oncogenic mutations identified in HCC, the most prevalent is telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter (TERTp) mutations, which occurs in up to 60% of patients, highlighting the importance of telomere biology in HCC molecular pathogenesis 4.