A combination of NUDCD1 (NudC domain containing 1) (Table 2), TSTA3 (Tissue specific transplantation antigen P35B), MTFR1 (Mitochondrial fission regulator 1) and IGF2BP2 (Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2) (S6B File) clearly demarcated the patients with poor survival in tongue cancer; patients with over-expression showed low median survival (35.91 vs 90.05 months; p = 0.007) and low DFS (34.76 vs NA months; p = 0.01) when compared with the cohort without alterations (Figs 3B and 4C). This evidence concerns the gene IGF2BP2 and tongue cancer.