Scientists have created a predictive inflammatory response-related genes (IFRGs) signature using two IFRGs –DNASE1L3 and KLKB1– for better prognosis of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A study conducted by a team of researchers at the Department of Minimally Invasive Interventional Medicine, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, China, discovered that both DNASEILE3 and KLKB1 were downregulated in HCC tissues compared to normal tissues, with a higher expression indicating a better prognosis. 

HCC is the most frequent subtype of malignant hepatic cancer globally, accounting for 90% of all cases. Though it has been demonstrated that the inflammatory response influences cancer development and can be used as a prognostic biomarker in various tumors, the relevance of genes associated with inflammatory responses in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remained unknown. The new study suggests that the IFRG signature was associated with pathological tumor stage and pathological T stage, implying that it could be used as an independent prognostic predictor in HCC. The analysis that followed indicated that the IFRG signature would alter the immune response in HCC patients. Likewise, the quantity of invading immune cells and the expression of most immunological checkpoint markers differed significantly between the high-risk and low-risk groups. The IFRG signature was associated with invading immune cells, which could aid in HCC targeted therapy too, said a report published in the journal Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine .