Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway have been widely used in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for the enduring efficacy and better safety, and the PD-L1 expression is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a predictive biomarker of ICI efficacy (6–8). Here, PDCD1 is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.