The immune response in HPV⁺ oropharyngeal cancer

Although human papillomavirus (HPV)⁺ oropharyngeal cancers often present with metastasis, most patients have excellent long-term survival. The reason underlying such an apparent contradiction remains unclear, but we have recently demonstrated that the improved survival of HPV⁺ oropharyngeal cancer patients has an immunological component, as the levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) can be used to stratify HPV⁺ patients into high-risk and low-risk groups.