In the context that UCHL1 is involved in the degradation of unwanted, misfolded, or damaged proteins within the cell and is overexpressed in >50% of lung cancers, this observation made the authors to suggest that overexpression of UCHL1 in chronic smokers may represent an early event in the complex transformation from normal epithelium to overt malignancy [2]. This evidence concerns the gene UCHL1 and lung carcinoma.