In SCC, only cells of the neoplastic stage can transduce subcellular signals via CD44 [26], whereas CD44s down-regulation in the NSCLC cell line H322, derived from a primary bronchioalveolar carcinoma of the lung, may confer a protective advantage by allowing escape from tumoricidal effector cells, including activated macrophages of the host, thus promoting tumorigenesis [27]. Here, CD44 is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.