fig2

Figure 2. Stylized balance illustrating the inverse relationship between hepatic immune competence and HCC risk. The right-hand spokes (shaded green → brown → red) depict the graded inflammatory/immune response to hepatic injury, ranging from acute inflammation through successive layers of chronic inflammation (Exposure-associated, cirrhosis-associated, and tumor-micro-environment-associated). As immune tone weakens and chronicity deepens, the balance tips leftward. Left-hand spokes trace the clinical consequences of that shift - progressing from early to advanced cirrhosis and, ultimately, overt HCC. The opposing arrows reinforce the concept that heightened, effective immune surveillance restrains tumorigenesis, whereas prolonged or dysregulated inflammation erodes immunity and accelerates tumor progression. Created in BioRender. Alsudaney, M. (2026) https://BioRender.com/5td954s.