Information from the TIMER 2.0 database showed that the expression of SLC25A17 in tumor tissues and normal para-carcinoma tissues was significantly different in most cancers, and SLC25A17 had a higher expression level in HNSCC tissues than in normal para-carcinoma tissues as shown in Fig. 1A. Detailed data on SLC25A17 expression and clinical characteristics of patients with HNSCC from TCGA were presented in the Additional file 1: Table S1. The gene discussed is SLC25A17; the disease is head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.