| CASP3 | Caspase-3 |
| DAPK1 | Death-associated protein kinase 1 |
| EGFR | Epidermal growth factor receptor |
| HNSCC | Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma |
| HPV | Human papillomavirus |
| IL-15 | Interleukin-15 |
| IMRT | Intensity-modulated radiotherapy |
| MFI | Mean fluorescence intensity |
| OS | Overall survival |
| OSCC | Oral squamous cell carcinoma |
| pN | Pathological nodal |
| pT | Pathological T |
| ROC | Receiver operating characteristic |
| STROBE | Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology |
| TCGA | The Cancer Genome Atlas |
| TMA | Tissue microarray |