Table 1.

Major Immune Cells Associated with Liver Cancer

Immune cells	Common markers for identification	Association with poor prognosis	Functions associated with liver cancer
Neutrophils/TANs	CD11b, CD66b, Ly6G	High population10	Inflammatory responses,20 macrophage recruitment26
Macrophages/TAMs	iNOS, CD80, and CD86 for M1 subsets and CD163, CD204, and CD206 for M2	High population10	Inflammatory responses and cytokine secretion26,27,35,36
MDSCs	CD33, CD45	High population48,49	Monocyte recruitment,50 immunosuppression51
DCs	HLA-DR	May differ depending on activation or localization57,59	Regulation of T-cell cytotoxic activity60,61
NK cells	CD27, NKG2D	Low population68	IFN-γ production,67 anti-tumor cytotoxicity69,70
B cells	CD20, CD79a	Low population75	Promotion of T-cell activation78
T cells	CD3, CD4, CD8	Low population79,80	Cytotoxic activity against tumor cells79, 80, 81
Tregs	FOXP3	High population10	Immunosuppression87
Th17 cells	CD3+CD4+CD8−	High population92	Suggested close relationship with Tregs92,93
Mast cells	c-Kit, chymase, tryptase	Controversial98,99	Histamine secretion95

c-Kit, receptor tyrosine kinase; DC, dendritic cell; FOXP3, forkhead box P3; HLA-DR, major histocompatibility complex class II DR; IFN, interferon; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; Ly6G, lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus G; MDSC, myeloid-derived suppressor cell; NK, natural killer; NKG2D, NK group 2 member D; TAM, tumor-associated macrophage; TAN, tumor-associated neutrophil; Th17, type 17 helper T; Treg, regulatory T cell.