Previous studies have shown that multiple cytokines, including IL-6 and IL-10, activate their receptors on GBM cells to promote tumor progression (Jiang et al, 2017; Liu et al, 2021), whereas IL-7 reduces tumorigenicity and enhances the immune responses of CD8+ T cells (Aoki et al, 1992; Gunnarsson et al, 2010). The gene discussed is CD8A; the disease is glioblastoma.