A single‐cell transcriptomic analysis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has identified several representative genes in p‐EMT programme in malignancy including 15 common p‐EMT‐related genes (SERPINE1, TGFBI, MMP10, LAMC2, P4HA2, PDPN, ITGA5, LAMA3, CDH13, TNC, MMP2, EMP3, INHBA, LAMB3 and VIM) and 10 variable p‐EMT‐related genes (THBS2, CXCL13, FN1, MMP3, MMP9, RAB25, MT1X, GPX3, SPP1 and MXD1).10 Here, MMP9 is linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.