Single-cell study of early recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma. Early recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma had reduced Tregs, increased dendritic cells, and increased intratumoral infiltration of CD8+ T cells. T cells in recurrent tumors overexpressed KLRB1 (CD161) and exhibited an innate immune-like hypo cytotoxic state. The number of these cells correlated with prognosis. Here, KLRB1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.