To elucidate the potential mechanism behind the positive correlation between PD-L1 expression and CD8+ TILs in NSCLC, we randomly collected 40 surgically excised NSCLC specimens and quantitatively assessed the mRNA expression levels of PD-L1, CD8, and IFN-γ (a primary cytokine driving PD-L1 expression). Here, CD8A is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.