Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of the most common malignant tumors,with rapid progression and a poor prognosis.More and more studies have shown that there are small open reading frames(sORFs)on the molecular sequences of a large number of non-coding RNAs(ncRNAs),which can encode conserved peptides that play an important role in controlling the occurrence and development of HCC.This article introduces the discovery,prediction,and validation methods of ncRNA-encoding polypeptides and reviews its research progress,with the aim of providing new targets and ideas for early-stage diagnosis,targeted therapy,and prognosis assessment of HCC.