IL1A and neoplasm: Given that cetuximab’s anti-tumor activity is in part due to natural killer (NK) and T cell-mediated cytotoxicity [1, 3, 39, 40] and IL-1 signaling can activate NK and T cell anti-tumor immune responses [41–44], we propose that increased tumor and/or circulating levels of IL-1 ligands would be indicative of a strong anti-tumor immune response leading to favorable and perhaps durable responses to chemotherapy regimens that involve cetuximab.