The molecular background of the tumor cell−TME interplay through Gal-1 was further elucidated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), where HCC cells stimulated macrophages to secrete Gal-1 via toll-like receptor 2-mediated secretory autophagy, promoting HCC growth in mice and correlating with poor patient prognosis [147]. This evidence concerns the gene TLR2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.