Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2), one of the two receptors that mediate the biological function of TNF, is involved in cancer cell growth (Vanamee and Faustman, 2017; Torrey et al., 2019; Li et al., 2023), and is high expressed in exhausted CD8T cells and tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells (Tregs) in a variety of cancers (Liao et al., 2023). Here, TNF is linked to cancer.