The liver constitutes a relatively immu-noprivileged microenvironment, as demonstrated by the fact that it accepts antigenic material (bacterial components and food antigens through blood supply from the portal vein) in the absence of immune responses, as well as by the rela-tively high rate of acceptance of allogeneic transplants, in many species including humans.1 In addition, the liver is the site of persistence of common pathogens including the hepatitis B and C viruses, which exploit the relative immunologi-cal tolerance of this organ.1 Cancer cells may also take advantage of the immu-noregulatory mechanisms that are estab-lished in the liver. Indeed, the liver is one of the most common sites of metastatic dissemination. Hepatocellular...