XBP1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: While direct HCC evidence remains limited, immune modulation studies suggest potential mechanisms: Exosomal miR-21–5p induces M2-polarized TAMs via SP1/XBP1 [73], and other HCC-associated lncRNAs regulate TAM phenotypes through transcriptional networks [[74], [75], [76], [77], [78]], implicating ZFAS1 in similar immune evasion pathways.