This result is consistent with our prior findings: 1) the canonical enzymatic activity is dispensable for AKR1C1 in promoting NSCLC metastasis; 2) the two paralogues of AKR1C1, namely, AKR1C2 and AKR1C3, although possessing similar catalytic activities and biological functions 15, 16, 33, yet minimally contribute to the malignancy of NSCLC 10. Here, AKR1C1 is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.