Given that WHSC1 was also reported to be significantly overexpressed in SCCHN [14], we assessed the correlation between expression levels of WHSC1L1 and WHSC1 in SCCHN samples and found them to be only mildly correlated (Spearman correlation co-efficient ρ=0.37, P<0.001), suggesting that WHSC1 and WHSC1L1 may function as independent drivers of SCCHN oncogenesis. This evidence concerns the gene NSD3 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.