We have re-investigated the concept that PAK3 and SGK2 are essential to the survival of HPV+ cervical cancer cells by carefully examining the relationship between the shRNA-induced phenotypes and PAK3 or SGK2 knockdown, and found, in contradiction to the conclusions of Baldwin et al., that lethality of the PAK3 and SGK2 shRNAs to HeLa cells is not related to their knockdown of the corresponding gene expression but likely through off-target effects. The gene discussed is SGK2; the disease is cervical cancer.