Apart from HMGCR, squalene monooxygenase (SM, also known as squalene epoxidase) which converts squalene to 2,3(S)-oxidosqualene is deemed as the second rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis and its increased expression was also found associated with poor prognosis in several tumors like prostate cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) (64–66). Here, SQLE is linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.