TNF and hepatocellular carcinoma: Human CD96+ NK cells in hepatocellular carcinomas were shown to be exhausted with a reduced expression of the immune stimulatory cytokines interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and increased expression of the immunosuppressive IL10 and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) [20].