Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. In particular, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become the most common primary hepatic malignancy. Current therapies are now satisfying and there is therefore an important need for identifying new therapeutic avenues. IL-27 is a cytokine produced in liver microenvironment but its role in the pathogenesis of HCC has never been investigated. The inventors now show that IL-27 exerts anti-proliferative activities in HCC cell lines. However, the inventors show that in patients suffering from HCC that a decreased expression of WSX-1 (i.e. the IL-27 receptor) is associated with a worse prognosis and contributes to the tumor proliferation. The inventors then identified some microRNAs (miR) that are capable of repressing the expression of WSX-1 and show that overexpression of said miR are associated with a worse prognosis in patients. Finally, the inventors demonstrate that antagomirs restore the expression of WSX-1 that can thus restore the tumor cell sensitization to IL-27 properties. Accordingly, the present invention relates to methods for the treatment and prognosis of cancer, in particular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).