Targeting CTLA-4 (ipilimumab), PD-1 (nivolumab) or its ligand PD-L1 (pembrolizumab) has been shown to be extremely effective in the treatment of a variety of advanced cancers including melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (Hodi et al., 2010; Brahmer et al., 2012). This evidence concerns the gene PDCD1 and cancer.