Table1_Effectiveness of adjuvant traditional Chinese medicine on macrovascular invasion in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a real-world propensity score-matched study.docx

The study aimed to investigate the potential of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in reducing the risk of macrovascular invasion (MVI) in Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This retrospective analysis involved 2,267 HCC patients treated at our hospital. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to compare TCM users (n = 485) with non-users (n = 485) in terms of age, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging, type of treatment, and AFP. The impact of TCM on the hazard ratio (HR) of MVI was evaluated using a Cox multivariate regression model. The efficacy of TCM therapy on MVI was further examined using the log-rank test. The analysis revealed that TCM medication was a significant protective factor for MVI in HCC patients, as evidenced by the Cox analysis (adjusted HR = 0.496, 95% CI: 0.387–0.635, p < 0.001). After PS matching, the Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrated a lower occurrence rate of MVI in TCM users compared to non-users. The study findings suggest that TCM treatment has the potential to decrease the incidence of MVI in HCC patients, irrespective of etiology, BCLC staging, liver function, or treatment type. Notably, as the use of TCM increased, the percentage of MVI in patients showed a gradual decrease, indicating the potential of TCM therapy as a successful strategy for preventing MVI.</p

Hyperactivation of peripheral CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in patients with HBV-PLC.

<p>Percentages of HLA-DR -expressed cells (HLA-DR %) among the CD4^<b>+</b> T cells (A) and CD8^<b>+</b> T cells (B) of the peripheral blood were compared between the patients with CHB, those with HBV-LC and those with HBV-PLC. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.</p

Patient basic characteristics.

<p>Patient basic characteristics.</p

Decreased peripheral recent thymic output in patients with HBV-PLC.

<p>Percentages of CD31⁺ -expressed cells (CD31%) among the CD45RA⁺CD4⁺ T cells (A) and CD45RA⁺CD8⁺ T cells (B) of the peripheral blood were compared between the patients with CHB, those with HBV-LC and those with HBV-PLC. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.</p

Elevated NLR in patients with HBV-PLC.

<p>NLR (A), percentage (B) and concentration (C) of peripheral blood neutrophils, and percentage (D) and concentration (E) of peripheral blood lymphocytes were compared between patients with CHB, those with HBV-LC and those with HBV-PLC. In addition, NLR (F), percentage (G) and concentration (H) of peripheral neutrophils, and percentage (I) and concentration (J) of peripheral lymphocytes were compared between patients with Okuda I, II and III HBV-LC. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. abs cnt: absolute count.</p

DataSheet_2_Prognostic value of CD8+T cells related genes and exhaustion regulation of Notch signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.zip

Immunotherapy has emerged as the primary treatment modality for patients with advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its clinical efficacy remains limited, benefiting only a subset of patients, while most exhibit immune tolerance and face a grim prognosis. The infiltration of immune cells plays a pivotal role in tumor initiation and progression. In this study, we conducted an analysis of immune cell infiltration patterns in HCC patients and observed a substantial proportion of CD8+T cells. Leveraging the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified 235 genes associated with CD8+T cell and constructed a risk prediction model. In this model, HCC patients were stratified into a high-risk and low-risk group. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited a lower survival rate, predominantly presented with intermediate to advanced stages of cancer, displayed compromised immune function, showed limited responsiveness to immunotherapy, and demonstrated elevated expression levels of the Notch signaling pathway. Further examination of clinical samples demonstrated an upregulation of the Notch1+CD8+T cell exhaustion phenotype accompanied by impaired cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion functions that worsened with increasing Notch activation levels. Our study not only presents a prognostic model but also highlights the crucial involvement of the Notch pathway in CD8+T cell exhaustion—a potential target for future immunotherapeutic interventions.</p

Decreased peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with HBV-PLC.

<p>The concentrations of the peripheral blood T lymphocytes (A), NK cells (B), B cells (C), CD4⁺ T cells (D), CD8⁺ T cells (E) were compared between patients with CHB, those with HBV-LC and those with HBV-PLC. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. abs cnt: absolute count.</p

DataSheet_1_Prognostic value of CD8+T cells related genes and exhaustion regulation of Notch signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.docx

Immunotherapy has emerged as the primary treatment modality for patients with advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its clinical efficacy remains limited, benefiting only a subset of patients, while most exhibit immune tolerance and face a grim prognosis. The infiltration of immune cells plays a pivotal role in tumor initiation and progression. In this study, we conducted an analysis of immune cell infiltration patterns in HCC patients and observed a substantial proportion of CD8+T cells. Leveraging the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified 235 genes associated with CD8+T cell and constructed a risk prediction model. In this model, HCC patients were stratified into a high-risk and low-risk group. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited a lower survival rate, predominantly presented with intermediate to advanced stages of cancer, displayed compromised immune function, showed limited responsiveness to immunotherapy, and demonstrated elevated expression levels of the Notch signaling pathway. Further examination of clinical samples demonstrated an upregulation of the Notch1+CD8+T cell exhaustion phenotype accompanied by impaired cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion functions that worsened with increasing Notch activation levels. Our study not only presents a prognostic model but also highlights the crucial involvement of the Notch pathway in CD8+T cell exhaustion—a potential target for future immunotherapeutic interventions.</p