Indeed, the inhibition of the immune checkpoint axis programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) has achieved clinical benefit in NPC patients; nevertheless, the response rate to anti-PD-1 therapies in NPC patients is only 20%–30%.4–6 This highlights an unmet clinical need to deepen the understanding of the TME in NPC to identify therapeutic targets and reliable biomarkers for risk stratification. Here, PDCD1 is linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma.