Validation of erlotinib resistance in HNSCC cells. Erlotinib‐resistant and sensitive FaDu (A), SQ20B (B), Cal‐27 (C), and SCC‐25 (D) cells were treated with either DMSO or 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 μM erlotinib for 48 h before assessing cell viability. Values were normalized to respective vehicle controls (con). Bars represent the mean of n = 3 experiments. Error bars represent ± standard error of the mean. *p < 0.05 versus respective con; ψp < 0.0001 versus sensitive.