Currently, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is an acknowledged biomarker for predicting immunological efficacy in NSCLC and guiding the clinical practice of immunotherapy8, however, it is not a perfect biomarker for immunotherapeutic prediction in NSCLC because the use of this predictor is hampered by the overlap between responders and non-responders9–12. The gene discussed is CD274; the disease is non-small cell lung carcinoma.