Lymphocytes and macrophages decreased significantly in patients with high expression of SKA1 and/or SKA3 in this study, leading to reduction of activation of immune cells, including CD8+ T and CD4 + T cells and NK and lytic activity of CTLs, suggesting that they might have an immune-excluded phenotype where CD4+ T/CD8+ T cells were maintained in the stroma, restricting cancer immunity. The gene discussed is CD4; the disease is cancer.