We have reported that proliferating oral mucosal basal layer cells as well as tumor cells in carcinoma in situ lesions and at the invasive front of squamous cell carcinoma produce hBD3, which is encoded by the DEFB103A gene, with little-to-no expression of hBD-1 and -2 [2, 3]. Here, DEFB103A is linked to squamous cell carcinoma.