In addition to regulating T cells, NFAT5 has also been suggested to significantly increase the expression of IL-12 in macrophages, strengthening the M1 phenotype of the cells26, which inspired us to investigate the possibility that HSD could direct the differentiation of M-MDSCs into M1 macrophages in tumours via p38-dependent NFAT5 activation. This evidence concerns the gene MAPK14 and neoplasm.