Basically, in the early stages of cancerogenesis, tumour-associated antigens can prime immune cells [macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)] present in the stromal microenvironment, which, in turn, elicit a potent anti-tumour response [6, 7] that could also be manipulated for tissue repair [8]. The gene discussed is CD8A; the disease is neoplasm.