The scientists found that the cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1)-CXCL6/TGFβ-axis, as well as the contemporaneous recruitment of N2 TANs, had a role in the control of cancer stemness in a cohort of HCC clinical samples, leading to the poor prognosis of HCC patients. Here, CLCF1 is linked to cancer.