Since NFκB-mediated inflammation, as described above, is a major factor promoting tumour formation as well as contributing to increased apoptosis resistance in tumours, the effect of four mechanistically different NFκB inhibitors—Cortisol, MLN4924, QNZ and TPCA1—on the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (IL-8 and TNFα), proliferation (relative cell number (RCN)) and sensitisation to death ligand (FasL)-induced apoptosis was analysed in the HNSCC cell lines PCI1, PCI9, PCI13, PCI52 and SCC25 as well as in the keratinocyte cell line HaCaT as the control/standard. Here, TNF is linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.