PDCD1 and cancer: Differentially methylated genes include nodal transcription factors in the immune system and inflammatory response such as NFAT, STAT3, and NFKB; a rich representation of interleukins, chemokines, chemokine receptors and nodal cellular antigens that are involved in cellular fate and differentiation such as CD38 CD44 as well as PD-1 a protein that controls an immune response checkpoint and is now recognized as a promising clinical target for immunity-boosting anti-cancer treatment [43].