To investigate whether knockdown of CENP-N in 5-8F and CNE-2Z cells can block the oncogenic effect of IRF2 on NPC cells, we established three groups of NPC cells—shNC, shIRF2 and shIRF2 + oeCENP-N—and examined the changes in glucose uptake and lactate production, cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycling in the three groups of cells. Here, IRF2 is linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma.