In the Peng Head-Neck dataset (oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma), FOXO4 was downregulated in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues and the fold change was -2.049 (p = 6.56e − 19 < 0.01, Figure 1(b)), while it was found to have a 2.351-fold mRNA decrease in FOXO4 in the Cromer Head-Neck dataset (p = 1.48e − 4 < 0.01, Figure 1(c)) and 2.114-fold downregulation in FOXO4 mRNA expression in the Estilo Head-Neck dataset from tongue SCC (p = 8.29e − 5 < 0.01, Figure 1(d)). This evidence concerns the gene FOXO4 and tongue squamous cell carcinoma.