Similar conclusions were obtained in another HNSCC study (Jin and Qin, 2020) using similar methods, wherein seven autophagy-related genes in HNSCC, namely ITGA3, FADD, CDKN2A, HSPB8, NK2 homeobox 3 (NKX2-3), BCL2 antagonist/killer 1 (BAK1), and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), were screened out. This evidence concerns the gene NKX2-3 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.