From efforts to augment endogenous cancer antigen presentation and improved “Signal-1” antigen recognition to new vaccine and engineered cell therapies to better manipulate immune checkpoint responses as well as adapter/engager mechanisms along with other strategies, we consider advances in boosting endogenous and exogenous forces that empower CD8+ T cell immunity in the carcinoma setting with an eye to unique challenges in lung cancer. This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and cancer.