CD8A and hepatocellular carcinoma: A recent study revealed an inverse association between TIM-3 expression levels and clinical outcomes in HBV-infected HCC (29): The proportion of TIM-3+ CD8+ T cells in tumor tissues from HBV+ patients was much higher than in those from HBV− patients (CD8+: 15% vs. 2%), and the TIM-3/galectin-9 signaling pathway could mediate T-cell functional exhaustion in HBV-infected patients.