Highly expressed circUHRF1 sponges miR-449c-5p to upregulate the expression of the downstream target gene, T-cell immunoglobulin mucin 3 (TIM-3), thereby reducing the secretion of TNF-α and IFN-γ, which ultimately promote the immune escape of HCC cells (69). Here, HAVCR2 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.