By subjecting these TME factors in the TCGA cohort to univariate Cox survival analysis, hypoxia, five metabolic factors (lipid, vitamin cofactor, nucleotide, energy and TCA cycle) and four immune cells (B cells, eosinophils, T helper cells and activated CD8 T cells) that were significantly (P<0.05) correlated with the OS of HCC patients were identified as candidate markers (Figure 1B). This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and hepatocellular carcinoma.