Increasing evidence indicates that ZEB1 exerts functions in addition to regulating morphology.48 More than 2000 downstream genes are regulated by ZEB1, suggesting that ZEB1 may be involved in a central switch that controls key cellular functions and states.32,49 In this case, SLFN5 may be more deeply involved in cancer progression via ZEB1 mediation, which needs to be studied further. This evidence concerns the gene ZEB1 and cancer.