Patients with gray zone squamous cell carcinomas were compared with patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and stratified by human papillomavirus (HPV) status that was determined by p16 immunostaining or HPV serology.
The most frequent mutations in the OCSCC samples were in the TP53 and CDKN2A genes, but no association of specific mutations with HPV or tobacco use was observed.