CD274 and hepatocellular carcinoma: A considerable advance in HCC treatment was the finding that immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting PD-1 or its ligand PD-L1 [hereafter PD-(L)1], whose association causes T cell exhaustion (6), can curtail HCC growth or induce tumor regression with objective response rates (ORRs) of 15 to 20% (7, , , –11).