A higher density and a greater abundance of CD8+ T cells in the TME have been associated with a favorable prognosis for cancer patients18; however, in the TME of HCC patients, resident memory CD8+ T cells may differentiate into exhausted phenotypes, and a higher abundance of such exhausted memory CD8+ T cells has been associated with the poor prognosis of HCC patients.19 The gene discussed is CD8A; the disease is cancer.