Plasma levels of different sub-populations of microvesicles (endothelial, leukocyte, platelet and hepatocyte) were measured by flow cytometry or ELISA / filtration on blood samples from 125 patients with cirrhosis, for which 36 of them were diagnosed with HCC at inclusion. The inventors show that the levels of microvesicles of endothelial origin (CD62E +) could predict the occurrence of HCC in patients with cirrhosis. Therefore the present invention relates to a method for determining whether a patient suffering from cirrhosis is at risk of having hepatocellular carcinoma comprising determining the level of endothelial-derived microvesicles (e.g. by flow cytometry) in a blood sample obtained from the patient.