TLR4 and neoplasm: In contrast, multivariate analysis revealed high TLR4 expression prior to treatment conferred worse prognosis, with the strength of the effect increasing with tumor stage (stage I vs II (HR = 2.2, P = 0.138), stage I vs III (HR = 4.2, P = 0.008) and stage I vs IV (HR = 11.3, P < 0.001); Fig. 4).