PRF1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: With the aim to investigate the phenotype and function of peripheral blood NK in HCV-linked HCC and their possible prognostic implications, Cariani et al. [19] evaluated a cohort of patients with HCV-related HCC: they found a decreased expression of inhibitory receptor NKG2A and of molecules linked to effector function (CD3z, perforin) in peripheral blood NK-cells from HCC patients.