While in many solid tumour types a lower T-reg density is good for the patient (Shang et al, 2015), there are some exceptions, such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, where higher FOXP3+ T-cell density is linked to better locoregional control (Badoual et al, 2006). The gene discussed is FOXP3; the disease is head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.