One severe complication of celiac disease is enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma, an invasive lymphoma with poor prognosis. New research has identified the anti-death signals transmitted to immune cells in the wall of the small intestine by the soluble factor IL-15 that contribute to the development of enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma, providing potential new targets for treating type II refractory celiac disease -- an intermediary clinical state between celiac disease and enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma.