The combination of bevacizumab (an anti-VEGF antibody) plus atezolizumab (an ICI targeting the PD1 axis) was recently established as a preferred first-line standard of care for patients with unresectable HCC, and clinical efficacy has also been reported with multiple other anti-angiogenic/immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combinations (cabozantinib + atezolizumab and apatinib + camrelizumab) [4–10]. This evidence concerns the gene PDCD1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.