Conversely, the density of Foxp3-expressing cells in HCC tissues was significantly higher in patients with either deletion spanning pre-S2 gene segment or high percentage of pre-S2 plus pre-S1 + pre-S2 deletion than those without (mean ± SEM, 55.23 ± 5.55 versus 13.87 ± 1.56 cells/mm2, P < 0.0001; 63.63 ± 6.59 versus 18.76 ± 2.19 cells/mm2, P < 0.0001, respectively) (Fig. 4C,D; right graphs). Here, FOXP3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.