Exposure of OSCC cells to hypoxia was further shown to induce autophagy by activating the signaling pathway of Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α)/Bcl-2 interacting protein 3 (BNIP3)/Beclin-1 and inducing HMGB1 secretion, thus acting as a survival mechanism for the cancer cells [29]. This evidence concerns the gene HMGB1 and cancer.