NIFK and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: In the current study, we identified that NIFK was highly upregulated in HNSCC patient samples as compared to normal tissues, and HNSCC patients with a high level of NIFK had a worse prognosis and a shortened life span, indicating that NIFK is a potential prognostic biomarker for HNSCC, although further functional validation is required.