To examine whether the inhibition of telomerase through dephosphorylating PKC influences the chemosensitivity of head and neck cancer cells, OEC-M1 cells were treated with 40 μM BIS for 48 h, followed by administration of various doses of cisplatin (0, 3 or 10 μg ml−1) for an additional 12 h. The gene discussed is PRRT2; the disease is head and neck cancer.