Further investigation of the TLR5 responsiveness of both normal hepatocytes and tumor cells in the liver and the loss of TLR5 responsiveness by HCC cells during cell transformation and tumor progression will improve our understanding of how this response affects TNF’s antitumor activity and guide development of TLR5 agonists to mitigate its toxicity. This evidence concerns the gene TLR5 and hepatocellular carcinoma.