AKT1 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: GALR2 plays an important role in HNSCC [5–7] and stimulation of GALR2 activates RAP1, a small GTPase, that subsequently induces ERK, AKT and p38, leading to HNSCC cell proliferation, survival and the secretion of pro-angiogenic cytokines such as VEGF, respectively [5, 6].