NFE2L2 and cancer: Similar to many iron-modulatory proteins, NRF2 activation has also been implicated in cancer: NRF2 activation in some tumor types such as nonsmall cell lung cancer is associated with poor disease prognosis, including worse overall survival with hazard ratios of 1.75 for patients with NRF2 expression and 2.09 for patients with low or undetectable KEAP1 expression (98, 143).