In addition, IHC analyses of TMAs from the ZHH1 cohort (n = 141) indicated that HCCs have increased NOD2 protein expression compared to ANT tissues (Fig. 1d, e1), with an average score of 6.11 ± 3.69 for HCC and 4.19 ± 2.88 for ANT tissues (P < 0.001). Here, NOD2 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.