Ilgen Mender et al. elucidated for the first time the mechanism and potential clinical translational value of 6-thio-dG, a nucleoside analogue targeting telomere damage, in activating host DNA-cyclic GMP- AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway -dependent immune cells to inhibit tumor growth (Mender et al., 2020). This evidence concerns the gene STING1 and neoplasm.