This finding is of particular interest in the light of the fact that genes that are frequently mutated in NSCLC (i.e. EGFR, KRAS) rely on PI3K/Akt to convey their oncogenic effects [56, 57], and suggest that IL-6/IL-6r may be a general downstream effector of several oncogenes in NSCLC TICs. Here, PIK3CA is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.