Highly elevated soluble Tim-3 levels correlate with increased hepatocellular carcinoma risk and poor survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients in chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Upregulated T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing molecule-3 (Tim-3) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific CD8 T-cells contributes to CD8 T-cell exhaustion during chronic HBV infection. The membrane-bound Tim-3 can be cleaved from the cell surface by sheddase, yielding soluble Tim-3 (sTim-3). This study investigated serum sTim-3 levels in patients with chronic HBV infection of various liver diseases. Serum sTim-3 levels were quantitatively determined in 288 patients with chronic HBV infection of various liver diseases. The sTim-3 levels were analyzed in relation to liver diseases including HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and overall survival of HCC patients. Serum sTim-3 levels in the patients with chronic HBV infection were significantly elevated compared with healthy controls (