Notably, most of the immune checkpoint-related genes, including PD-L1, PD-1, CTLA-4 and LAG3, are more highly expressed in the high-immune clusters than in the low-immune clusters, suggesting that patients with HCC in the high-immune cluster fit the basic profile of an ‘immune hot tumour’ and are potential beneficiaries of treatment with ICIs. Here, CD274 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.