Previously, we demonstrated that 63 NSCLC cell lines have diverse sensitivities to Plk1 inhibition (Ferrarotto et al, 2016), which is consistent with the results of clinical trials of Plk1 inhibitors for solid tumors, in which response rates were low (4–14%) in unselected patients with stable disease rates of 26–42% (Schoffski et al, 2012, 2010; Sebastian et al, 2010; Stadler et al, 2014). Here, PLK1 is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.