Immune Checkpoint Gene Expression and TIDE Score Predict Immunotherapy Response in HCC

Due to the crucial role of immunotherapy in treating HCC, an analysis of immune checkpoint genes from the HisgAtlas dataset was conducted, revealing a significant increase in these genes in the C2 cluster compared to C1. Notably, the high-risk subgroups of C3 displayed overexpression of several crucial immune checkpoint genes, including VSIR, PDCD1LG2, CD274, HAVCR2 (TIM-3), BTLA, LAG-3, TIGIT, CTLA-4, and PDCD1 (PD-1) (Figure 6C). Furthermore, the TIDE software was utilized to evaluate the potential response to immunotherapy in the two clusters. Patients with higher TIDE scores have a greater likelihood of immune evasion, indicating a lower chance of benefiting from immunotherapy. In the TCGA cohort, the C3 had higher TIDE scores compared to C1 or C2, indicating that patients in this cluster may have a higher probability of immune evasion and fewer potential benefits from immunotherapy.