NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3), the most well-characterized and well-studied inflammasome complex, is usually activated by a diverse range of ‘danger signals’, and substantial evidence suggests that the NLRP3 inflammasome exerts a significant effect on the pathogenesis, development, and progression of a variety of tumours, including lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (30, 31). Here, NLRP3 is linked to lung cancer.