SPP1 and neoplasm: Notably, the SPP1 gene has been identified as a significant biomarker in hypopharyngeal SCC [19] with its upregulated mRNA expression in tumor tissues correlating with poor overall survival of hypopharyngeal SCC patients [20] Additionally, its role in promoting lymph node metastasis (LNM) in hypopharyngeal SCC has been proposed [21] Analysis of large public datasets [22] suggested the role of interactions, SPP1–CD44 and SPP1–ITGB1, in hypopharyngeal SCC progression.