Previous studies have found that FN1 as well as ITGA5 could facilitate tumor angiogenesis and progression in cervical cancer [24, 25] and may be a prognostic risk factor in many types of cancer including Gliomas, gastric cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and NSCLC [26–30]. Here, ITGA5 is linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.