Focal adhesion kinase inhibition enhances response to checkpoint immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

Despite the remarkable efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer therapy, their clinical benefit in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains limited. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a pivotal oncogenic role in various tumors by promoting angiogenesis, tumor proliferation, and immunosuppression. Therefore, targeting FAK represents a promising strategy to enhance immunotherapy outcomes in HCC.

Methods

We analyzed RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to compare PTK2 (encoding FAK) expression between HCC tumors and adjacent normal tissues. Associations between PTK2 expression levels and clinicopathological features were systematically evaluated. Immune cell infiltration l

SUBMITTER: Liu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12916278 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature