Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41555384›Full record

ArticleJournal of translational medicine2026

Radiogenomics predicts immune microenvironment heterogeneity and response to combination immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Zheng-Gang Xu, Yi-Wei Liu, Yang Ji, Shu-Ya Cao, Tian Wang, Huai-Yu Wu, Wei-Wei Tang, Xiao-Feng Wu, Yong-Xiang Xia, Qing Xu and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Zheng-Gang Xu *Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Yi-Wei Liu *Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Yang Ji *Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Shu-Ya Cao *Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Tian WangHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Huai-Yu WuHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Wei-Wei TangHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Xiao-Feng WuHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China.
Yong-Xiang XiaHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China. yx_xia@njmu.edu.cn.
Qing XuDepartment of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China. 13776683209@163.com.
Ke WangHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China. lancetwk@163.com.
Xue-Hao WangHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China. njmu_wxh@163.com.
Gu-Wei JiHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, P. R. China. drjgw@njmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Jiangsu Provincial Key Research and Development Program BE2020708Major Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China 31930020Major Program of Yili Clinical Medical Research Institute yl2021zd04National Natural Science Foundation of China 82102150National Natural Science Foundation of China 82272791Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province BK20210968
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with anti-angiogenic agents is the preferred first-line therapy option for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet only a subset of patients responds, urging the quest for prediction biomarkers. We aimed to integrate genomics with radiology to propose an immune-derived radiogenomics biomarker of response to such combination immunotherapy and evaluate its added value in clinical context.

methodsWe integrated bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and proteomics data of 994 HCC patients with single-cell RNA-seq data of 11 samples across multiple datasets to identify an immune-related signature (IRS) that may influence sensitivity or resistance to such combined immunotherapy strategy, followed by verification of selected marker genes using immunohistochemistry and cytological experiments. We then trained/validated a cross-modality radiogenomics biomarker using machine learning based on TCIA database that was further tested in multi-scale independent cohorts covering 754 HCC patients.

resultsIntegrative multi-omics analysis identifed a parsimonious 2-gene prognostic signature including KPNA2 and SMG5 that was significantly associated with immune heterogeneity and response to combination immunotherapy. Machine-learning pipeline exported the optimal 4-feature radiogenomics biomarker using support vector machine that significantly discriminated prognosis (hazard ratio 1.415–1.890; p < 0.05 for all) and modestly predicted response to ICI plus anti-angiogenic therapy (area under the curve 0.720–0.829) in independent retrospective series across major imaging modalities (computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging). In a prospective neoadjuvant cohort, this biomarker also showed favorable performance for predicting pathological response and tumor recurrence, accompanied by biological validation through single-cell RNA-seq analysis of pre-treatment biopsies.

conclusionsOur study provides a cross-device-cross-modal radiogenomics biomarker that can improve patient selection for emerging ICI plus anti-angiogenic therapy with novel potential therapeutic targets in HCC.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularGenomicsImmunotherapyLiver NeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentBiomarkers, TumorFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMultiomicsPrognosisRadiomicsTreatment OutcomeBiomarkers, TumorCombination immunotherapyHepatocellular carcinomaMachine learningPrediction modelRadiogenomics

Identifiers

PMID41555384
PMCPMC12895822

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.