NFE2L2 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Previous studies have established that constitutive activation of NRF2 signaling is observed in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC), esophagus, and lung (1, 29).The precise function of NRF2 activation in tumorigenesis remains unresolved, though context dependencies of cancer stage, strength of activation and cooperating genetic mutations are critical (22, 26, 49, 50).