In our previous GWAS in southern Chinese, three NPC protective SNPs were detected in this region including one located in 4 kb upstream of HLA‐A, one in the intergenic region of HLA‐B and HLA‐C and one located between the HLA‐DRB1 and DQA1 loci.12 However, interpretations of these results are difficult because in the current opinion, the reported SNPs are proxy for association signals without direct biological function. The gene discussed is HLA-DRB1; the disease is nasopharyngeal carcinoma.