Identification of Two Distinct Immune Subtypes in Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

ABSTRACT: HBV is the most common risk factor for HCC development, accounting for almost 50% of cases worldwide. Despite significant advances in immunotherapy, there is limited information on the HBV-HCC tumor microenvironment (TME), which may influence the response to checkpoint inhibitors. Here, we characterize the TME in a unique series of liver specimens from HBV-HCC patients to identify who might benefit from immunotherapy. By combining an extensive immunohistochemistry analysis with the transcriptomic profile of paired liver samples (tumor vs. nontumorous tissue) from 12 well-characterized Caucasian patients with HBV-HCC, we identified two distinct tumor subtypes that we defined immune-high and immune-low. The immune-high subtype, seen in half of the patients, is characterized by a high number

SUBMITTER: De Battista D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11011136 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature