Studies have shown that DTYMK knockdown and LKB1 loss DTYMK are synthetically lethal, that is, excessive consumption of DTYMK below a critical threshold is lethal to all dividing cells, especially those carrying low levels of deoxynucleotide pools, such as tumour cells that maintain a rapid growth rate (Liu et al., 2013). The gene discussed is DTYMK; the disease is neoplasm.