SCLC primary patient tissue showed a strong downregulation of genes involved in the extrinsic apoptosis pathway (Fig. 1a), such as tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL, gene name TNFSF10), caspase 8 (CASP8), and CD95L (FASLG)12 (Fig. 1d). Here, CASP8 is linked to small cell lung carcinoma.