HPRT1, a salvage enzyme involved in nucleotide production and recycling in cell cycle modulation, has been shown to promote proliferation and metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) through direct interaction with STAT3 and has been implicated as a promising prognostic indicator and potential therapeutic target for HNSCC (Wang et al., 2021b). The gene discussed is STAT3; the disease is head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.