Jia S, et al. - Using the Cancer Genome Atlas database, researchers examined the link between Melanoma-associated antigen-A11 (MAGE-A11) signatures and clinicopathological characteristics of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. They also explored its potential mechanisms in these patients. Findings revealed an elevated MAGE-A11 mRNA expression in HNSCC tissues vs “normal” tissues. There was no correlation of MAGE-A11 protein expression with lymph node status, relapse, age, gender, histological grade, differentiation, clinical stage, tumor size, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Lower 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were reported in patients exhibiting a high MAGE-A11 expression vs those displaying low MAGE-A11 expression, as ascertained using the Kaplan–Meier method. It was verified in univariate and multivariate analyses that raised MAGE-A11 serves as an independent prognostic factor for the OS of HNSCC patients. Overall, the likely value of MAGE-A11 as a diagnostic or prognostic marker as well as its worth as a potential molecular therapy target for HNSCC patients was concluded.