HOXD13 and non-small cell lung carcinoma: In contrast to our expectation, there were no significant differences in the plasma levels of sPD-1, sPD-L1, and sCTLA-4 before and after the surgery in NSCLC and OVC patients; however, significant differences in sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels were detected in RCC patients (Fig. 5a–c).