Although FADD is a crucial mediator of apoptosis, it has been implicated in facilitating tumor promotion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is associated with a poor clinical outcome in head and neck cancer and NSCLC patients (Bowman et al., 2015, Ehlken et al., 2014, Rasamny et al., 2012). The gene discussed is FADD; the disease is head and neck cancer.