Immune checkpoint molecules such as PD-L1 and TIM-3 on EpCAM+ cancer cells could not be detected; on the other hand, a slightly increased PD-1- or TIM-3-positive CD8+ T cells was observed in MPE2nd samples (PD-1+CD8+T cells: from 0.51% to 2.79%; TIM-3+CD8+T cells: from 3.26% to 5.24%, MPE1st to MPE2nd, respectively) in Figure 1B. CD14+CD68+ macrophages in the MPE samples increased from 0.82% to 4.61% in CD45+ cells between the first and second sampling (Figure 1C). Here, EPCAM is linked to cancer.