Results showed that CD14+ cells from patients with early stages of HCC were PD-L1−PD-L2−IL-12−IL-10−CCL17−CCL1−CXCL13− (considered as a quiescent phenotype), while CD14+ cells from the same patients after tumor progression were PD-L1+PD-L2+IL-12−IL-10+CCL17−CCL1+CXCL13− (considered to be the M2b phenotype). The gene discussed is CD14; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.