In oral keratinocytes and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines, the latter can induce RIPK2-dependent PD-L1 expression, a ligand involved in cell-mediated immune responses that can induce an immune-evasive microenvironment and prevent T-cell mediated destruction of cancer cells, suggesting that RIPK2 could play a role in preventing immune reaction to pathogens and/or to SCC [32]. Here, RIPK2 is linked to cancer.