Interestingly, although cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) have antitumor properties, which can induce apoptosis of tumor cells by recognizing tumor-specific antigens on target cells and releasing cytotoxic enzymes and cytokines, HCC patients with highly CTLs infiltration sometimes have poorer survival outcomes because these CTLs are exhausted (9). Here, CD8A is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.