An Q, Liu T, Wang M, et al. Onco Targets Ther. 2020;13:8963–8976. https://doi.org/10.2147/OTT.S259033

We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal OncoTargets and Therapy, have retracted the published article.

After publication, concerns have been raised by a third party in 2024 about the integrity of the data in Figures 3, 5, and 6 of the article.

Further investigation conducted by the Journal and Publisher confirmed the following:

Unexpected similarities between the image panels in Figures 2D and 4C that are representative of different samples and treatment conditions. Unexpected similarities between the image panels within Figure 7C that are representative of different samples and treatment conditions. Unusual similarities between Figure 6C, and images from the following published article by an unrelated author group:

Li N, Gou Jh, Xiong J, et al. HOXB4 promotes the malignant progression of ovarian cancer via DHDDS. BMC Cancer. 2020;20:222. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-020-06725-4

Additional integrity concerns were identified in the Western blots shown in Figures 3F, 4A and 6B.

When approached for an explanation, the authors did not respond to the queries raised by the Journal and Publisher.

As verifying the validity of published work is core to the integrity of the scholarly record, we are therefore retracting the article. The corresponding author listed in this publication has been informed.

We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines.

The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.