T cell exhaustion markers in hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma: Expression patterns and prognostic significance in an Egyptian cohort

Figure 4 Immune checkpoint correlations with liver dysfunction in cirrhosis patients. Lollipop plot (forest plot variant) showing Pearson correlation coefficients for Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and Child-Pugh class, and Spearman correlation coefficients for alpha-fetoprotein, between immune markers and clinical parameters in cirrhosis patients (n = 50). Points represent correlation coefficients (red = positive, blue = negative; point size is proportional to the absolute value of the correlation coefficient |r|), with lines extending to the null (r = 0). Key findings: (1) Near-perfect correlations with MELD (e.g., CD3: r = 0.93, P < 0.001); (2) Moderate associations with Child-Pugh class (r approximately of 0.56, P < 0.001); (3) No significant alpha-fetoprotein correlations (all P > 0.29); and (4) An inverse CD4/CD8 ratio pattern (MELD: r = -0.90, P < 0.001). ^aP < 0.001 after adjustment for age and sex. TIM-3: T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3; TIGIT: T-cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain; AFP: Alpha-fetoprotein; BCLC: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; MELD: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease.