The present invention relates to the field of molecular biology and cancer biology. Specifically, the present invention relates to the uses of tipifarnib, a farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI), in the manufacture of a medicament for treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in a selected population of subjects based their HRAS mutation status. Still more specifically, the HNSCC is at an advanced stage, metastatic, relapsed or refractory and is human papillomavirus-negative.
