FADD the bad in head and neck cancer.

It has been known for many years that the protein Fas-associated death domain (FADD) is an essential protein forming the apical portion of the extrinsic apoptosis pathway that permits association of death receptors, e.g., CD95, DR4, DR5 with pro-caspases 8 and 10, thereby facilitating caspase activation (e.g., ref. 1, and references therein). It is also known that FADD can recruit other proteins to regulate NFκB and MAPK pathways which in turn can promote proliferation and cell cycle progression. In NSCLC high expression of FADD has been associated with shorter survival times and lymph node metastasis or oral cancer and worse survival, and the present manuscript in head and neck cancer demonstrates similar findings with respect to lymph node metastasis and survival.(2,3)