Recently, Messai et al. reported that mutations in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene positively correlated with PD-L1 expression in KIRC cells but not in KIRP and KICH cells [18], suggesting that PD-L1 may play different role in different RCC subtypes and that anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy may not be suitable for all RCC patients. Here, VHL is linked to renal cell carcinoma.