Interestingly, we also perform the CD8 and the CD34 staining, which reflected the tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells and the intratumoral microvessels respectively in ccRCC tissues, and our statistical data showed that there weren’t any significant associations between HHLA2 expression in ccRCC tissues and the infiltrating intensity of CD8+ T cells, or between HHLA2 expression in ccRCC tissues and the intratumoral microvessels (data not shown). This evidence concerns the gene CD34 and nonpapillary renal cell carcinoma.