PBK and cancer: Compared to normal tissues, PBK has been proven to be upregulated in tumor tissues, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia, which indicated a poorer cancer diagnosis and prognosis, making it a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment (Park et al., 2006; Lei et al., 2013; Ishikawa, Senba, and Mori 2018; Han et al., 2021).