We have demonstrated the regulation of thymidine phosphorylase by Nrf2 and HO-1 in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung, as the manipulation of Nrf2 or HO-1 levels led to concomitant modulation of TP levels in vitro and in vivo and HO-1 expression correlated with TP in clinical NSCLC specimens. Here, HMOX1 is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.