Further, statistics analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between SALL4 expression and tumor infiltrating PD-1+CD8+T cells (Fig. 9b), raising a possibility that hepatocyte SALL4 involves PD-1+CD8+T cell exhaustion via expressing PD-L1 during HBV+HCC progression. This evidence concerns the gene SALL4 and hepatocellular carcinoma.