By using scRNA-seq, Lavin et al. demonstrated that, as early as in stage I, NSCLC lesions have a strongly reduced CD8+ T effector/Treg ratio compared with normal tissues16; Zhang et al. demonstrated that the state of CD8+ T cells in primary NSCLC appears to be shaped by two distinct processes, the inherent T cell developmental program and the tumor-induced T cell exhaustion8. This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and non-small cell lung carcinoma.