Although potent IKKα-specific inhibitors have not yet been described, the dispensability of IKKα in classic NF-κB activation and the unique roles of nuclear IKKα in modulating NF-κB-independent pathological activity, which are important for tumor progression, indicate that the chromatin-associated IKKα might be a promising target for therapeutic intervention in cancer. Here, NFKB1 is linked to cancer.