To investigate the relationships between EMT, CSCs and TRAF6 in head and neck cancer, we discovered that the expression of TRAF6 in SCCHN was significantly correlated with EMT markers (i.e. Vimentin and Slug) and CSC markers (i.e. CD44, KLF4, ALDH1 and SOX2). Here, ALDH1A1 is linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.