ArticleHepatology communications2026
Spatiotemporal dynamics of the tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma during combination immunotherapy.
Article in Hepatology communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAtezolizumab plus bevacizumab (ATZ/BEV) is a standard first-line therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, many patients do not achieve meaningful tumor regression. The temporal and spatial immune remodeling associated with ATZ/BEV remains poorly understood.
methodsWe performed single-cell RNA sequencing of paired hepatectomy specimens obtained before and after ATZ/BEV from one patient and of tumor center and margin samples from another patient after ATZ/BEV. Cell composition, subclusters, and cell-cell communication were analyzed. In addition, candidate molecules identified by transcriptomic analysis were further assessed using serum-based assays and immunohistochemistry.
resultsThese single-cell analyses suggested that ATZ/BEV was associated with a shift toward an immune-active tumor microenvironment, with increased CD8+ T cells together with reduced endothelial cells. CD8+ T cells showed increased effector and exhaustion signatures, indicating coexistence of activation and dysfunction. CellChat analysis demonstrated selective activation of the TIGIT-PVR/NECTIN2 axis after treatment. Spatial analysis showed that the tumor margin was enriched for CD8+ T cells and exhibited stronger effector and exhaustion activity than the tumor center. Immunoregulatory signaling was also more prominent at the margin. Serum TIGIT levels were significantly higher after ATZ/BEV than in upfront resection cases (p=0.0325). Immunohistochemistry showed greater margin-to-center differences in TIGIT (p=0.0019) and PVR (p=0.0008) in the tumor after ATZ/BEV.
conclusionsOur exploratory findings suggest that ATZ/BEV may remodel the HCC microenvironment toward a state characterized by concurrent CD8+ T-cell activation and inhibitory signaling through the TIGIT-PVR/NECTIN2 axis, particularly at the tumor margin.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.